Ten Little Nicelander Tales
by CandleHeadButt
Summary: Niceland seems so PEACEFUL doesn't it? Why not take a look into the daily lives of the Nicelanders just to see how 'peaceful' it really is.
1. Welcome to Niceland

_Well hello dear readers and welcome to Niceland, the residence of the Nicelanders in Fix-it-Felix Jr. Have you come for a visit or is this an extended stay?_

_Just joking my friends! I know you just came to hear ten stories in the lives of the Nicelanders._

_Which Nicelanders?_

_There is Mayor Gene, the leader of the group. A bit of a grump but he's a nice guy deep down. (VERY DEEP.)_

_There is Mary, the pastry master. Despite her soft exterior, she is a very well-rounded and resourceful woman._

_There is Lucy, the youngest of the bunch. She is always looking for something new and exciting to do, even if it annoys her neighbors._

_There is Norwood, the one with all the cats. He's a very kind fellow but he might want to tone it down with all those felines._

_There is Nel, the seamstress with flare. She might be small but what she lacks in height she makes up for it in attitude a thousand folds._

_There is Meg, the lady who brews and sells tea. Don't get caught in a corner by her or she'll hold you for hours while making you drink tea._

_There is Don, a man of the seas. He has many endless tales about the open ocean. Which are true? Er, that's up to YOU to decide._

_There is Blake, the tennis coach. Even the larger characters from the tennis games can't hold a candle to this man!_

_There is Deanna, the one who hates it when people call her by the wrong name. She often keeps to herself so who knows what that woman is doing while the others are gone._

_There is Roy, the constant worrier. Even on a good day, he is fretting that the worst can happen._

_What? You don't think the Nicelanders are all the exciting? You say all they do is bake pies and walk around weirdly?_

_Oh no, my friends! Being a Nicelander is much more exciting than you think so don't let their little round bodies and skittish demeanors fool you!_

_On this journey, you will be given ten stories to choose from but you do not have to go in order. Well, except for the last part. That is the only part you HAVE to save for last._

_….._

_No seriously, if you read the last chapter first, I will hunt you down._

_As I was saying, choose your Nicelander and see what happens as they make it through the day. You are in for a surprise as each Nicelander is connected to one another in a way that even they would never have imagined._

_Happy readings and have a NICE day._


	2. Gene

Gene- *HIC*

The sun rose as usual on Sunday at Litwak's Arcade, the light reaching every apartment in Niceland. For many of the little people, the shining sun was a signal to wake up and wake up they did.

All except for ONE Nicelander.

Still covered in several comforters and sleeping harder than a rock was Nicelander Gene, the mayor of the spryly bunch. Poor Gene; he was always the worst to wake up despite having such a big responsibility so as usual, he was still sawing logs in his bed, only stirring a bit when the sun hit his eyes.

"Noooo…." He mumbled, flipping over and burying his head in a pillow "Mmmm, ten more minuets mommy!"

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

The loud clanging of the alarm woke the man with a start.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Was that from next door?

"URGH! TURN THAT THING OFF GENE!" yelled a voice from the next apartment, the pounding continuing.

"Alright! A-ALRIGHT! Geeze, Nel!" Gene managed to shout in-between a large yawn, finally turning his clock off.

Gene sat up in bed, still groggy and sleepy. He was tempted just to fall back and drift into dream land but he had no time for that, even though if was a break-day. Nope, even on days when the arcade was closed, Gene still had to fulfill his duty as Mayor!

"Urgh, might as well go see how everyone is doing…" the little man yawned, lurching out of bed and going to the bathroom to tidy up. Cleaning up always did perk the man up and by the time he was dressed, he was only SLIGHTLY less sleepy than he normally was.

No, he needed ENERGY to wake himself up now. He walked to the kitchen, opening his icebox.

Hmm, what to make, what to make.

Strawberry daiquiris….leftovers from a party the other night.

Gene eyed it innocently.

Nah, might as well save it for lunch or dinner. Who would drink so early in the morning?

GENE WOULD.

Gene set out for a proper breakfast and as everyone knew, if there was something Gene loved more than fine drinks (And Mary, and his mustache, and the color blue, and being praised, ect.) it was….

Well, FOOD. And LOTS of it.

Everyone would tease Gene over having such a LARGE appetite for such a SMALL man but he didn't care and enjoyed a hearty breakfast.

Eggs, ham, a bowl of fruit, some toast, a waffle, some coffee.

A bite from the leftover pie.

That last piece of chocolate from the candy dish that he had yet to refill.

YUP!

That was JUST what he needed!

Feeling much better, Gene left his apartment to greet his neighbors, giving them a friendly smile and a wave, but NOT a hug.

No, Gene wasn't the hugging type, save for one person and one person only. But that didn't mean some of his neighbors would still sneak a hug or two in, just to get a reaction of out of him.

"Good MORNIN', Mayor!" said Nicelander Lucy happily, the youngest of the Nicelanders at the programmed age of nineteen. She moved right in and gave Gene a TIGHT hug, much to the man's annoyance but both knew he couldn't escape. The man let out a forced chuckle and patted the girl on her head.

"Yes, yes. It IS a good morning, isn't it Lucile?"

"I'll say! Today is the day DDR gets their shipment of remixed hits!" the girl said energetically "I HAVE to be in line to get it!"

Of course Gene hadn't a clue as to what Lucy was talking about but he knew for a fact that she was going to go buy ANOTHER CD to blast into the apartment.

Why was Lucy like this? Gene thought back to this own backstory and remembered that HE wasn't like this when he was nineteen!

Did he spend most of his time listening to annoying music?

No, he spent most of his time getting DRUNK.

Ah, backstories.

Gene waved Lucy off, the young woman leaving but his attention turned to a familiar wrecker in red and a repairman in blue, both caring large crates of something in their arms.

"Hold up there a moment, boys! What's this?" the mayor asked, looking up at both men.

Felix smiled from ear to ear, "Ah! Just the person we wanted to see! This is actually a special delivery all the way from Sugar Rush!"

Gene blinked; a package from Sugar Rush? Most Sugar Rush gifts were reserved for Ralph or Felix so to have one for the entire apartment? That was a new one.

"Oh?" the mayor said in a curious tone "Well, bring them into the penthouse! Let's see what it is!"

The three men made their way to the penthouse, laying the crates on the floor. Ralph opened the boxes with ease and inside…

Where bottles upon bottles ice cold soda!

"Soda?" Gene said, trying to pick one of the bottles up, a little disappointed to find that due to the sizing difference between the games, the bottles were a little on the large size for him.

"Ah, YES!" Felix said "Vanellope DID mention that she an' the others were testin' out a new formula for their diet cola!"

"Why on earth would they do THAT?" Gene asked, sniffing.

"Somethin' about the stuff not havin' enough KICK!" Ralph smiled, looking at the bottle "Didn't think the kid would send us SO much though! This should last us a couple'a months!"

"Or it should last you about a week…" Gene said, smiling a bit "If it's alright with you, you can have all of it!"

"Aw, come on Gene!" Felix said "Those kids made this stuff for ALL of us! It would be a shame for us to waste it!"

"I know Felix, but…." The mayor hesitated for a bit trying his best not to seem rude "Sorry fellows, but I'm just not a fan of diet cola."

"You would be if there were some rum in it…." Ralph snickered under his breath.

"I HEARD THAT, YOUNG MAN!" Gene snapped "Look, I'm serious! I just never acquired the taste for the stuff! Even when I was younger according to-!"

"According to your backstory, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Ralph smirked rolling his eyes "Gene, are you up for any sort of change? I mean, didn't you say you were gonna start bein' more open?"

"Well, yes but…."

"Then give this stuff a try! Besides, it's the PREMIUM soda! None of that cheap stuff!" Ralph smiled.

"Urgh, you mean like they have at the Power-Up Mart? Blergh!" Felix said, wrinkling his nose.

"Weeeeell…." Gene said, rubbing his chin "Oh, alright. I mean, most of the stuff from Sugar Rush is tasty so…I might as well!"

"That's the spirit!" Felix said happily, reaching for his bottle opener on his tool belt.

After Felix had opened the bottles, the three men clinked them together.

"Well, here's hoping those kids can brew somethin' good!" said Ralph.

The men then downed the soda but after only three seconds…

"HOOOOOLY COW!" Felix hacked, trying not to spit the stuff out.

"WHOA! IT DOES HAVE KICK!" Ralph said, coughing a bit as his cheeked burned redder than before "WOW! What is this?! Soda or JET FUEL!?"

But Gene just kept on drinking.

"Uh, GENE?"

The Nicelander continued to chug the brew down; he knew it was a bit SPICIER for his taste but he didn't want to look as if he couldn't take the stuff! After all, it was just DIET COLA!

"UUUURGH! IT'S GOING UP MY SINUSES!" Gene thought to himself gulping down the last drop hard.

"Whoa…" Ralph snickered "And here we thought that Kirby could inhale anything…"

"Should we tell her that the stuff needs to be brought down, juuuuust a tad?" asked Felix.

"Er, YOU can tell her!" Ralph said with a smile.

"But she's YOUR best friend!" Felix replied.

"Yeah but…..You didn't drink that much of yours!"

"RALPH."

Gene snorted back, feeling that perhaps he had made a mistake of drinking the entire bottle, "Grrk! Yes, yes, maybe adding a bit less…WHATEVER might h-help in this!" the man coughed.

Both the wrecker and the repairman looked over at the small man, almost as if they were afraid the mayor were about to EXPLODE.

"Uh, you gonna be okay there Genie?" asked Ralph.

Gene coughed loudly, still feeling the effects of the soda as it rushed up his nose "Y-Yes, yes. Just-!"

Before Gene could even finish his sentence, the man burped but he burped so LOUDLY that Ralph and Felix were just as shocked the poor mayor. Unable to contain himself, the large wrecker erupted into laughter, Gene blushing furiously.

"E-excuse me!" Gene blushed, a hand still on his mouth but his mood turned sour once he saw that Ralph was still laughing at him "IT WASN'T FUNNY, RALPH!"

"Th-the-then why can't I stop laughin'?!" the man cackled, his sides hurting by now.

Even Felix couldn't help but let out a snicker or two, though he knew it was best NOT to.

"Aw, come on Ralph! It wasn't like-PFFFFFFFT!" and then Felix was overcome with laughter.

And in the middle stood a grumpy little Nicelander, his hands folded against his chest and an angry pout on his face.

"Okay, okay. You got me….now can you please stop!?"

After a few seconds, both Ralph and Felix finally calmed down, the wrecker wiping a tear from his eyes.

"Aw man…" he breathed out "Nothin' like a good laugh…."

"RIGHT." Gene said in a harsh tone "A LAUGH."

Gene picked up another bottle from the box, shaking his head "Sheesh! I don't know what those kids put in this stuff but-!"

And like clockwork, Gene burped AGAIN but a HICCUP followed it, one so powerful that it sent the man tumbling on his back!

"Ya okay there, Gene?!" Felix asked, running over to the mayor, helping him back on his feet.

The mayor shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy after his fall "I-I think so Fe*HIC!*"

Another hiccup!

"Gene?"

*HIC!*

The mayor ATTEMPTED to say something but much to his surprise, he found that he was now being plagued by a stream of very loud, very persistent, hiccups! The man stood before his two colleagues mortified, his hands over his mouth and his cheeks blushing even redder than they usually were.

"Wow, this seems to be the gift that keeps on givin'!" Ralph laughed.

"Urgh! I *HIC!* knew that *HIC!* stuff was *HIC!* too *HIC!* strong!" Gene said in-between hiccups.

"Hmmm…" the large wrecker said as he peered down at the hiccuping Nicelander, a hand on his chin "Maybe we should take ya to Sugar Rush! Ya know, have Nelly an' the kids use you for their test subject if you react THIS well to their food!"

"RALPH! *HIC!* Do*HIC!*don't you DARE *HIC!* AUURGH!" the tiny man growled in frustration.

"Gene, Gene! Calm down!" Felix said, putting his hands up "Seems like they're gettin' worse!"

"HOW CAN *HIC!* I CALM *HIC!* DOWN?! I *HIC!*CAN'T EVEN *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!*" Gene soon went into a fit, his anger only making his hiccups worse.

"GENE!" Ralph bellowed, putting his index finger on the man's head, making him squeak in shock.

Nothing.

Maybe THAT had cured Gene's hiccups!

"See, nothin' ta get all upset about!" the wrecker smiled.

*HIC!*

Ralph and Felix groaned, looking down at the small mayor. The larger man shook his head, smirking to his friend.

"Hey Felix, how many repairmen does it take to help a hiccuppin' Nicelander?"

"Wait, what am I doin'?" Felix said with a smile, slapping his forehead "I have the answer right here!" Felix then took his golden hammer from his holster, holding it with a smug grin on his face "One tap of this and your hiccups will be gone in no time!"

Gene backed away a little bit. Sure, he knew that Felix's hammer could fix an injury and it wasn't like he hadn't been hit with the hammer before…

But there was something about what was going on that made him a tiny bit nervous.

"Er, *HIC!* are you SURE this *HIC!* will work?" the mayor asked, a tad nervous.

"Trust me!" Felix grinned, aiming his hammer right for Gene's head "Now hold still!"

Gene flinched a bit, letting out a small whine as Felix tapped him on the head with his hammer as gently as he could. The mayor felt the surge of the golden hammer's power running through him and after a moment or two, not a hiccup was to be heard! The mayor opened an eye, looking up at both Felix and Ralph, the men holding their breaths to see if anything would happen.

Silence.

"Did it work?" asked Ralph.

A smile formed on Gene's face "I-I guess it did!"

"See, what did I tell ya!" the repairman grinned "Just ONE tap and-!"

*HIC!*

Both wrecker and repair man yelped in shock as they looked down at Gene, the man once again holding his hands on his mouth and looking embarrassed.

"Guess not…." growled Ralph.

As Gene continued to hiccup, his tiny body bouncing a bit, Felix could do nothing but stare in complete disbelief. Out of EVERYTHING he had ever fixed in his thirty one years in the arcade, NOTHING had EVER escaped the power of his hammer!

A cold?

It was fixed!

A tooth ache?

Also fixed!

A massive concussion to the face caused by several, self-inflicted punches?

EASILY FIXED!

But the one thing, the ONE THING that had escaped the power of Felix's hammer….

Was a case of HICCUPS.

But as they say, there is a first time for everything!

"W-What?!" stammered Felix "That's IMPOSSIBLE! My hammer can fix EVERYTHING!"

Ralph sighed "I guess even in the gaming universe, nothing can escape the power of the all accursed hiccup."

"*HIC!*" Gene replied, almost as if to annoy Felix even more.

"I'm sure if I get you a second time, it will work!" Felix said, DETERMINED to cure his friend. "Maybe if I just hit a LITTLE HARDER-!"

"NO NO NO! That's *HIC!* alright, young man!" Gene said, holding out his hands "I-I think *HIC!*I should *HIC!* deal *HIC!* with this on my *HIC!* own!"

Felix looked a bit hurt by the statement; Gene didn't want his help? But Gene always wanted his help and Felix LIKED to know that he was needed. The repairman's eyes grew big, his lip quivering.

Uh-Oh.

THAT LOOK.

"B-b-b-but Mr. Mayor!" Felix said, his eyes becoming more puppy like "I just want ta make sure you're alright!"

Gene knew he had said the wrong thing now! He looked at the upset Felix but his eyes quickly went back to Ralph, almost as if he were asking him what to do in the situation. Ralph just shrugged and shook his head.

Yeah, this wasn't going to end well.

The mayor chuckled nervously as he began to walk back towards the door, Felix's huge blue eyes following him the entire time.

"O-OH! Would you *HIC!* look at the *HIC!* time! I *HIC!* have to *HIC!* GO!" Gene said as he opened the penthouse door, still blushing like mad "N-Nice *HIC!* try *HIC!* though, young *HIC!* man! You did your best!"

"REALLY?!" Felix said, his smile returning.

As if to prove a point, Gene hiccupped again but unable to come up with anything else to say, the man just ran from the penthouse, the door shutting loudly behind him. The smile on Felix's face began to fade as he looked down at his hammer.

"H-He didn't want my help…."

Ralph groaned as he picked his friend up by the collar "Okay, sad-sack. Snap outta it!"

* * *

Gene rushed down the hallway as fast as he could, trying his best to keep his hiccups silent but finding that as he did, it was only making his chest and stomach ache.

"Darn *HIC!* it!" he cursed to himself. Of all things, why did it have to be the hiccups? He was so hard to cure when it came to the blasted things and what respectable mayor would allow himself to be caught hiccupping?

Gene shook his head; there had to be a cure for this and the sooner he found one, the better! The man turned down the hallway, ready to dash into his room when the strangest sight met his eye.

"Tombo!"

It was Norwood.

And for some reason, the red-headed Nicelander was crawling on the floor.

"Hey! Hey! Tombo!" Norwood whispered, his eyes looking under the door to Don's apartment.

"Norwood?" Gene said, an eyebrow arched.

Norwood let out a gasp as he sprang to his feet, blushing like mad as he forced a smile on his face.

"O-oh, HI Genie! Fancy meeting you in the hall!"

"Why, y-yes…" Gene said, suppressing a hiccup "Its Fancy meeting you here in the place…where we LIVE."

Norwood chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Er. Yeaaaah! Well, gotta go!" the man said, rushing down the hallway.

TOMBO?

Gene shook his head, knowing that it was probably one of the man's MANY cats and much to his annoyance, it must have escaped.

Great, ANOTHER cat on the loose in the apartments.

"*HIC!*"

Gene hiccupped so loudly that the sound echoed throughout the entire floor, the man covering his mouth and blushing again.

He had never been so embarrassed!

He went for his keys and opened the door, slamming it behind him. Once inside, Gene went to the fridge, digging around for something.

"Peanut butter, peanut butter! Peanut *HIC!* butter!"

Ah-ha!

He found the jar in the back of his fridge and still hiccupping away he took a spoon and ate a rather large spoonful, partly because of his hiccups and partly because, PEANUT BUTTER. It was good and he liked it.

A few moments passed with no hiccups but another moment-

HIC!

CURSE THE HICCUPS!

The mayor took another spoonful but again, it did nothing to stop his hiccups and even worse!

He had eaten the entire jar.

"Aw, but this *HIC!* was my favorite *HIC!* kind!" the man whined, looking into the empty jar to scrape any remaining bits. In his frustration, he tossed the jar into the trash before flopping on the couch, his arm over his eyes "Urgh, can this GET *HIC!* any WORSE?"

DING-DONG!

The mayor looked up from the couch towards the door.

DING-DONG!

"Wh-who is it?"

"It's me, Gene!" sang a friendly voice from the other side.

Meg?

What did she want?

The mayor walked over to the door and opened it, finding a smiling Meg standing right in front of him, a box of tea held tightly in her hands.

"I heard you had a hiccup problem!" the woman twittered.

Oh, NO! He knew word would travel fast and being a tea connoisseur, Meg was ready to give Gene a cure! At least she WANTED to. At this point, Gene wasn't having it and tried to close the door out of embarrassment.

"MEG! I *HIC!*" the mayor stuttered, trying his best to keep the woman out of his apartment "I DON'T-! *HIC!*"

"Ah-HAAAA! You DO have the hiccups!" Meg said giddily, forcing her foot into the door to prop it open "I'm so glad I made my special brew of rosehip and strawberry tea! It calms the nerves and-!"

"MEG! *HIC!* PLEASE *HIC!*" shouted the mayor, using all the strength he could to keep the woman out "I *HIC!* DON'T *HIC!* NEED YOUR *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!*"

Meg's cheeks were squished on the door, the woman trying to hand the mayor a box of tea "BUTH ITH WORTHS! THURTH MEEF-!"

SLAM!

Gene slid on the floor, not even realizing that both Meg's hat AND her tea box had fallen inside his apartment. No, he was much too busy HICCUPPING to notice. The man sat up and rubbed his temples, a hiccup escaping every three second or so.

DING-DONG.

"MEG! I TOLD YOU! *HIC!*"

"No, this is the OTHER Nicelander who's name begins with M!"

MARY!

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Gene said, jumping to his feet and letting his fiancé in "Oh Mary! I am so, SO sorry!"

"It's okay Gene…." Mary said with a cute smile "But from what I heard, YOU weren't so okay."

Gene looked at Mary with bashful look and then….

*HIC!*

Gene's embarrassment hit an all-time high once he saw his fiancé laughing at him.

"Maaaaaary!" he whined, only to hiccup a second later.

"I-I'm sorry dear!" the Nicelander in pink giggled as she wiped an eight-bit tear from her eye "I-its just you look so cute when you hiccup!"

"CUTE?!"

Gene wasn't cute! He was manly as hell!

The man huffed, crossing his arms against his chest but another hiccup popped from his mouth. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his fiancé shaking her head, a smug grin on her face.

"See? If ya keep acting up like that, its only going to make them WORSE!"

"W-well, *HIC!* what do you propose I *HIC!* I *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!*"

Oh no, they were getting WORSE! Gene covered his mouth as he blushed deeply, much too humiliated to even look Mary in this eyes at this point, not with the way his hiccups were acting! Mary on the other hand knew she had to do something! She just couldn't leave the man the way he was!

"Goodness! Maybe you should come down with me!"

Gene turned, his eyebrow arching "WHAT?"

"I SAID-!" Mary groaned as she took the man by his hand and pulled him from his apartment "Here, I'll help you, dear."

* * *

A few minutes later, Gene found himself sitting in Mary's apartment, positioned on one of her yoga mats.

"Now cross your legs…" Mary said, walking behind the man.

Gene looked down at his tiny legs before turning back to Mary, a sarcastic look on his face "You're kidding, RIGHT?"

"Oh RIIIGHT! Your tummy DOES get in the way, doesn't it?" the woman said cheekily, grabbing Gene's tummy chub and pinching it playfully.

Gene squirmed and blushed brightly as he let out another hiccup, "MARY! *HIC!*"

"Shh, shh. You need to be calm…" the woman said, placing her hands on Gene's shoulders.

"Ca*HIC!* aaaaalm…" Gene said, closing his eyes and trying his best to relax but as hard as he tried, he just kept hiccupping.

HIC! HIC! HIC!

Gene let out a groan as he placed a hand on his chest "I *HIC!* still have the hiccups, dear."

"Okay, then let me try this…." Mary said, rubbing the man's shoulders.

Gene felt like melting right there as Mary's touch seemed to ease some tension, Despite being embarrassed to be inflicted with this hiccups in front of her, the man could not deny that he was enjoying his love's company. A she continued to rub his shoulders, he began to calm down and his hiccups seemed to slow their pace.

"OW!"

"Sore spot?" Mary whispered.

"Y-yeah…" Gene hissed in slight pain, rolling his shoulder a bit "Ya get this way after being thrown out a window for over thirty years…."

"Well, stop pinching your shoulder like that or you're going to make the pain worse!" Mary said in a huff, gently slapping the man's hand away.

Gene pouted, cracking his back "*HIC!* I'm *HIC!* SORRY! It's just *HIC!*!"

Uh-oh, they were back!

"Here, let me get that!" the woman replied, taking Gene by his sides.

"GAH! NOT SO *HIC!* TIGHT!" Gene yelped.

"Oh, hush before you strain something!"

"It doesn't *HIC!* help when you *HIC!* grab it like *HIC!* that! *HIC!*" the man blurted in embarrassment.

"Nicelander Gene, what did I tell you?" Mary said, putting her hands on her hips "If you keep going on like this, you're just going to make your hiccups WORSE!"

It was true; Gene's hiccups were growing stronger the more upset he became and considering he had them for such a LONG TIME already, the man was more than a little aggravated at this point. He growled to himself as he took a deep breath and blew it out, once again trying to ease the tension he was feeling.

"Feeling better?" Mary asked, leaning on the man playfully.

"Y-Yeah….I am!" Gene said happily, patting his chest.

"Good!" Mary said, kissing the man on his cheek "And I think you're hiccups are gone!"

Suddenly, a wave of music began to pour into the apartment.

LALALA! SING WITH YOUR ENTIRE HEART!

"What?" asked Gene, his mind preoccupied on the music.

Mary raised her voice a bit "I said, you're hiccups are gone!"

DOOT DOOT DOOT! SHOOTING STARS!

"Excuse me, but I can't hear you!" Gene said, putting a hand to his ear.

"I SAID-!"

By now, the music was playing FULL BLAST, both Nicelanders looking towards the right of Mary's apartment where Lucy was living.

"What in the world-?!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

Both Nicelanders jolted as they then looked up towards the ceiling, Mary's ceiling fan rocking a bit.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCY!"

"Is that DON?!" asked Gene.

"LUCILE! TURN THAT JUNK DOWN!"

BAM BAM BAM!

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP, UP THERE!"

"Nel?!"

"LUCY! I'M GOING TO SMASH THAT CD PLAYER!"

"GET STUFFED DON!"

The music only got louder which was followed by another wave of stomping from Don upstairs.

"Goodness, what is going on?!" asked Mary.

"HIC!*"

"Oh, Gene! Not AGAIN!"

"I *HIC!* THEY'RE *HIC!* STRESS *HIC!* RELATED!" Gene attempted to say in-between bouts of hiccups as he got up, heading towards the door.

"Th-then calm down again!" Mary said grabbing onto Gene and pulling the man back "It was working so-!"

"GAH! Dear, let GO!" Gene yelped, his feet slipping from under him!

In that second, the mayor lost his footing when the woman took hold of him and before he could do anything, down he went, falling onto of his fiancé with a whomp, his nose bumping against hers.

"OH!" Gene cried, his eyes wide in shock.

"GOODNESS!" said Mary, blushing like mad.

*HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!* I AM SO *HIC!* SORRY!" Gene said, rolling to the side and helping the woman off the ground.

"You poor thing, they're getting WORSE!"

The air then began to fill with the sound of violin playing.

LOUD and FAST violin playing.

"DON, STOP!"

"OH I'M SORRY! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY FASTER?!"

"RRRRRRRRRRGH! DONALD!"

DING-DONG!

"Now who could THAT be?" Mary said, getting up and going to her door. To her surprise, Roy was on the other side.

"Oh, hello Roy!" the woman said brightly.

"HAVE YOU SEEN MY WALLET?" the man said frantically, grabbing onto Mary's arms.

"Er, WHAT?!"

"MY WALLET!" Roy blurted, looking more panicked.

*HIC!*

"Er, what about the lost and found?" Mary replied.

*HIC!*

"I CHECKED THERE!" screamed Roy.

*HIC!*

Gene looked up towards the ceiling and could only FEAR what was going on inside the other apartments, his hiccupping becoming worse the more he thought! The poor man was now in a non-stop flux of hiccups and they weren't easing up!

"GENE!" shouted Mary from the door, sounding non-too-pleased.

Gene turned, seeing the woman glaring at him in annoyance, "For crying out LOUD! Hold your breath or something!"

"I'm *HIC!* sorry, I *HIC!* can't *HIC!* help it!" the man cried in embarrassment.

Mary sighed as she turned back towards her neighbor "I'll get back to you later…."

The mayor turned back to the floor and sighed, unable to think straight with all the calamity that was happening throughout the apartment but suddenly he felt Mary's arms wrap around his chubby middle but this wasn't a hug.

It was a TIGHT-VICE GRIP!

"GAH! *HIC!* MARY!" the man cried, his legs kicking in the air.

"I heard THIS helps!" Mary strained, trying to apply as much pressure as she could around Gene.

"*HIC!* ITS *HIC!* JUST *HIC!* MAKING IT *HIC!* WORSE! *HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC!*" the man cried, hiccupping worse than ever! Gene just fell on the floor, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"No more!" he sobbed "I *HIC!*-"

The two then heard a massive splashed, followed by a scream and a crash.

What in the arcade was happening today?!

"THAT'S *HIC!* IT! *HIC!*" Gene roared as he rolled to his side, finally managing to get to his feet "I'm *HIC!* putting a *HIC!* stop to *HIC!* this *HIC!* right n-! *HIC! HIC! HIC!*"

Yup, things had gotten THAT bad.

"Gene, wait!" Mary cried as she tried to pull the man back towards her.

The man pushed his way out of Mary's apartment, not caring that he looked a bit of a mess. As he made his way towards the stairs he ran into Roy, the man dragging Nel off to who knew where.

"GENE, HAVE YOU-!?" the man started.

"NO, Roy! I haven't seen your*HIC!* wallet!" Gene snapped, stomping angrily towards the stairs. Once Gene was on the upper level, the mayor marched up to Don's apartment but found that the door was open and the apartment empty.

"Don?!"

No answer.

Something had obviously happened; Don's usually neat apartment was trashed and the remints of a broken ship in a bottle lay on the floor.

"SERIOUSLY?" Gene groaned, rubbing his head.

Gene then walked back to Norwood's apartment which was also empty, one of his cats ambling out. The mayor looked at the chubby cat and quickly went after it.

"*HIC!* Oh, no! Come *HIC!* back *HIC!* here Sassy!" Gene said once he caught the cat "You *HIC!* know you can't *HIC!* wander around the *HIC!* halls like this! *HIC!*

Gene placed Sassy back into the apartment but as he closed the door, he heard a loud SPLASH from the roof pool, followed by a woman's scream.

"HOW COULD YOU!?"

Lucy.

Gene prepared to take the stairs up to the roof but he was cut off when he saw none other than DON running down the stair as fast as he could, Lucy tearing after him.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE VIOLIN PIECES!"

The two continued their romp all the way down to the main lobby where Gene could hear the front door swing up just before slamming loudly, both Nicelanders still screaming. The mayor slowly walked over to the windows, looking out just in time to see Lucy JUMP on Don's back, the man crying out in shock as the woman pulled on his face, stretching his fat cheeks.

"LUCILE! YOU LEAVE DON ALONE!"

Gene looked down, seeing Meg sticking her head out of window.

"Oh *HIC!* PLEASE don't add to this *HIC!* chaos!" the man said to himself, looking back as Lucy continued to thrash on Don.

"SOMEONE GET HER OFFA ME!"

Just then, ANOTHER pair of screams came from the apartment, two Nicelanders ROLLING out onto the lawn as they two began to thrash on each other!

Gene recognized the bright red hair anywhere.

"NORWOOD….." the man growled, scowling horribly.

"OW! LET GO OF MY HAIR, BLAKE!" screamed Norwood.

"YOU FIRST!"

"YA DON'T HAVE ANY HAIR!"

That's it! The madness had to end NOW!

Gene ran down the stairs to the atrium, busting through the doors as he got a close-up look at how insane things had gotten.

"What *HIC!* in *HIC!* the *HIC!* WORLD *HIC!* is going *HIC!* on?!" the mayor yelled at the top of his lungs, his face turning red.

Just then there was a splash!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gene turned just in time to see Lucy sitting in the middle of the duck pond, Don looking down in horror.

"Lucy, are you okay?!"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT?!"

"SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON! I CAN'T SEE!"

Gene just looked in utter shock at what was unfolding before him.

And there was only one thing the mayor could say.

"*HIC!*"


	3. Norwood

Norwood- MEOW

Norwood woke up with a snort, finding that he had once again fallen asleep on the couch after becoming too engrossed in one of his many books.

"Oh man, did I really conk out or what?" the man yawned, cracking his back from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

The man heard a purr, looking down to see Sassy, his oldest and biggest cat, rubbing against his leg.

"Yeah, girl. I know. Breakfast…." The man said with a chuckle as he scratched his cat behind her ears. Norwood hummed as he made his way to the cabinet where he kept the cat food.

"C'mon guys! C'mon! Breakfast!" the Nicelander called, whistling.

A flurry of cats began to pour from everywhere; from under the couch, from ON the couch, from the office room.

EVERYWHERE.

Norwood filled each and every bowl with cat kibble, the greedy things munching away happily.

Yeah, Norwood did have a lot of cats but THANKFULLY, not all of them were his.

Being programmed as a vet, Norwood did have a lot of love and skill for taking care of animals and as such several game characters would often call him if their animals were sick or needed watching. In Norwood's case, he always ended up watching a LOT of cats that were not his but he didn't mind. The man loved cats and he was always happy to take care of them.

His neighbors on the other hand…..

Not so much.

Norwood looked around, noticing that one of the kittens, a tiny little thing no bigger than an egg, was having a bit of trouble reaching the food dish. The Nicelander chuckled as he helped it reach the bowl so it could eat.

"Don't worry Tombo. I'll take ya home once your owner gives me a call."

Norwood's stomach growled. It was time for HIS breakfast as well but first, he had to clean up.

"A warm shower should wake me up a bit more!" the man said, walking off to the bathroom.

The little kitten licked its paws once it had eaten its fill but as it looked around the apartment, it let out a weak little meow. The tiny thing felt lost in the huge apartment and being surrounded by much LARGER cats wasn't helping it. It then heard a deep meow, turning to see Sassy looking down at him. Tombo shivered but Sassy gently nudged him with her nose.

She meant no harm. In fact, Sassy apparently wanted to protect the kitten.

The large orange cat wrapped herself around the kitten, the tiny thing feeling much more comfortable in her warmth.

But then.

"Plan on working on another dress?" said a voice from the hall.

"Yeah, I saw a pattern I really wanted to try!" another voice replied, cheerfully.

Tombo's ears flickered as he scampered to the door. As it was half-way opened, the little cat could see two Nicelander ladies standing out in the hallway, one holding a large box of material and thread.

"Well, be sure to show me the dress when you're done!" said the first voice.

"Oh, I will!" answered the second.

Tombo looked up, seeing something dangling from the mass of supplies.

RIBBON!

He just couldn't resist.

The kitten squeezed out of the door and began to chase after the ribbon, not even realizing how far he was getting from the apartment.

After his shower and a shave, Norwood came out feeling refreshed and ready to eat.

"Ah, now for…."

The Nicelander looked up, seeing that the door to his apartment was cracked open. The man let out a frustrated groan.

"GUYS. Ya KNOW how Gene an' the others feel when ya wander out into tha halls!" he sighed, closing the door. He then looked, doing a head count on all the cats in the apartment.

They were all there….

Except for one.

"Tombo?" Norwood called, looking around "Tombo?"

Uh-oh.

The red-headed Nicelander began to panic; he was only sitting for Tombo and today was the day his owner would come back and get him! And even worse, with Tombo being so small, he could wind up getting stuck ANYWHERE.

"Aw, CRUMBS!" Norwood said, looking around "Okay, okay, okay Big Red! There's no need to get this worked up! I'm sure the lil thing is fine an' somewhere safe!"

"I SAID, IT WASN'T FUNNY!"

Gene!

Aw man, if Gene knew that another cat had gotten out of Norwood's apartment, he wouldn't hear the end of it! The man knew he had to go searching for the cat, but where to start?

Where to start?

Letting out a heavy sigh, Norwood knew he had his work cut out for him and he would have to search the entire apartment!

"Great…." The man grumbled "An' here I was lookin' forward to a RELAXING mornin'!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Tombo was still hypnotized by the sight of the purple ribbon, following the fluttering sight like a moth to a flame. The kitten was so entranced he didn't realize the door closing behind him and the fact that he was in another apartment.

This time, the apartment was covered in purple, various sewing items strewn about. The kitten shivered nervously as it looked about.

"Mew…."

A faint humming could be heard, scaring the poor kitten away. Tombo then saw a place to hide; a sewing basket! Jumping in, the kitten ducked for cover, only seeing a flash of purple and the faint aroma of jasmine.

"La, la, la! Summer time love! La, la, la, something, something!" sang a voice.

Tombo knew that he was caught for now.

* * *

"Where in the world is that cat?" Norwood said to himself, looking around. He had already searched the first floor of the apartment building and slowly making his way up but with each floor, he turned up nothing.

"C'mon! Ya can't tell me that a cat could get away from me this easily!"

"What in the world are you doin' NOW?"

Norwood let out a shocked yelp, tuning to see none other than Blake standing in his doorway, eyeing Norwood. The freckled Nicelander scowled, not in the mood to deal with his neighbor.

"HI BLAKE."

The bespectacled Nicelander nodded, "NORWOOD."

Silence.

"So, WHO is this TOMBO you're lookin' for? Another one of your cats?" asked a miffed Blake.

Norwood growled, his freckled cheeks blushing even more than normal, "Naw Blake, it's a DOG. I'm switchin' it around ya know!"

"Look NORWOOD, as much as I know ya have a 'THANG' for cats, PLEASE keep those stupid things away from me!" the other man growled.

Great; THIS discussion again! Norwood knew that of all his neighbors, Blake hated his cats the most and the man would waste no time in gripping to the others about them. Why was Blake on his case all the time? It wasn't as if Norwood was THROWING his cats in the man's face, especially when he KNEW he was allergic to them!

Either way, Norwood was still annoyed by Blake's constant moaning and groaning.

"Awww, is the PWECIOUS tennis boy unable to take a widdle kitty?" the ginger Nicelander mocked.

"Considerin' they mess with my breathin', YEAH! I GUESS I DO!"

Norwood didn't have time for this! He pinched the bridge of his nose, his temples throbbing "Look, I ain't got TIME for this so-!"

Norwood then noticed that Blake was holding an ice-pack to his arm, a rather nasty bruise under it "The heck happened ta ya?"

The tennis champ scowled, trying to hide the mark "Tis just a scratch!"

"Okay, fine then. Just….just let me be!" Norwood said, turning around as he prepared to leave "I have somethin' I need ta do an' I can't waste my time!"

Norwood let out a chuckle though it was obvious that he man was a tad annoyed and it was something no one would have been surprised about; Norwood and Blake were complete opposites of each other and everyone knew that they didn't get along too well. Since the day they had been plugged in, the two were always bickering about something stupid, most of it dealing with how many cats Norwood had, the fact that Blake was ALLERGIC to cats, and a certain Nicelander.

One that Norwood was DEEPLY in love with and one that Blake was VERY protective over.

"Look Blake, give me a break will ya?" Norwood said "I'm just tryin' ta help people out okay?"

"Help? You call hoarding cats HELP?" Blake snapped, getting a little peeved "Listen, No-RY. I HELP by volunteering with game characters an' teachin' 'em tennis! You do not help people by shoving your apartment full of cats, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR NEIGHBOR IS ALLERGIC TO THEM!"

"Well, exCUUUUUUUUUUSE me, PRINCESS!" Norwood said angrily "I'm sorry that the fact that I was programmed as a vet interferes with your precious programmed tennis champ bull!"

"BULL!? Keep runnin' your mouth, Norwood an' so help me-!"

"FORGET IT, BLAKE!" Norwood said, storming off in anger.

"Yeah! Go look for you precious cats or whatever ya….aw forget it!" Blake said, returning to his room with a slam of his door.

As the two men parted ways, Deanna peeked her head out her door, missing all the drama that had happened only moments ago. The woman shrugged before returning to her apartment.

"Tombo!" Norwood said, now on another level of the apartment "Tombo, where are-?"

"NORWOOD!"

"GAH!" the man said, seeing Gene standing in front of him "O-OH! GENE!"

The mayor just eyed Norwood, saying nothing.

"F-fancy meeting you here!" Norwood said.

"Yes, fancy meeting you here where we LIVE!" Gene retorted.

Norwood laughed nervously before excusing himself and continuing his search down the hall.

*HIC!*

The man jolted a bit as he turned around, noticing Gene turning the corner with a hand over his mouth.

"Wow, someone has a nasty case of this hiccups!"

The Nicelander's stomach growled, prompting him to put his hands on the chubby surface. He had skipped breakfast and it was getting close to lunch.

"Aw man, so hungry…."

He knew he had to hurry up and find Tombo but where could he be? Norwood stopped to think for a moment; he was approaching this situation the wrong way! There had to be an easier way to find the missing kitten rather than looking on the floor like an idiot.

"Ya know, I could just ASK…" Norwood said to himself, making his way to the others' apartments. As he went around, the Nicelander asked his neighbors if he had seen the kitten but each one said no. Meg hadn't seen him, Mary hadn't seen him, and neither had Roy.

"Maybe I should go ask Don….."

Norwood made his way towards the stairs to go up but before he could make it towards the lift, who should come BUSTING out of Lucy's apartment than Don, the man running as fast as his legs could carry him with a CD player over his head.

"DARN IT DON, GIVE ME THAT BACK!" Lucy screamed, chasing the Nicelander up the stairs.

"Er, maybe I should ask some other time…." Norwood said, backing away.

Well, there was one other Nicelander to ask.

Nel.

In a way, Norwood both dreaded and couldn't wait to ask Nel. He couldn't wait because seeing her always brightened his day.

He dreaded it because he knew that Nel was easily annoyed whenever Norwood brought up his cats and for good reason.

There was that time in eighty-six.

Nel had come in…..

And one of his cats thought her hair was a toy.

NOT FUN.

Norwood knew that if he wanted to get his cat back, he was going to have to ask Nel so it was time to bite the bullet. The Nicelander made his way towards the apartment, knocking on the door.

"Nel? Ya in there?"

No reply.

Norwood knocked again but was met by silence.

"Huh, guess she's out…." The man said, only to hear the sound of a sewing machine powering up. The woman was home but why wasn't she answering? The freckled Nicelander shook a bit; maybe she was avoiding him but then another thought came to his mind.

"I bet'cha….."

The Nicelander ran back to his apartment, running out on the balcony. Being as careful as he could, the man climbed over his balcony and onto Nel's, looking into the window. She was there alright but at the moment, she was much too entranced by her own sewing and the fact that her headphones were blasting music into her ears.

"Nel!" the man yelled, pounding on the patio windows "Nel, turn around!"

Nel didn't look up for a second, much too busy with her project.

"NEEEEEL!" the man said, pounding on the window again. He then looked over, noticing a tiny paw reaching out of the sewing basket.

"TOMBO!" Norwood cried happily as he saw the cat was indeed inside Nel's apartment.

Wait….

TOMBO WAS INSIDE NEL'S APARTMENT!

"Nyaw, CRAP."

Time to start knocking again!

"NEL! NEEEEL! PLEASE OPEN UP!" the man said, yelling at the top of his lungs "MY CAT IS IN YOUR BASKET AN' I DON'T WANT YA TA FREAK OUT BUT I KNOW YA WILL SO-!"

"The HECK are ya doin'?!" shouted a voice.

Norwood jolted as he looked to his right, seeing Blake glare at him from a floor below.

"BUT-! NEL-! SHE-! MY CAT-!"

"GET OFF HER BALCONY YA CAT FREAK!" Blake shouted angrily, tossing up tennis balls at the man!

"OW! BLAKE! YA DON'T-! OW! STOP IT!" Norwood said, scrabbling back over to his balcony and falling on his face once it made it safely over.

"The last thing Nel needs is some miscreant like you lookin' at her through her window!"

"MISCREANT?! WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT TA MY FACE YA BALD-SPOTTED, TENNIS GEEK!"

"TENNIS GEEK! MOTHER F-!"

Norwood prepared for say something else but he stopped once he heard the loud splashing from the top of the building.

"DON, HOW COULD YOU?!"

Before he could move, Norwood was caught under a massive splash of water, the man crying out as he was soaked to the skin, his thick red hair covering his face and his sweater vest just sopping wet. Blake could only stare in awe before he broke into fits of laughter at what he saw.

"Maybe that should cool ya down!" Blake laughed, finding the sight of a dripping Norwood HILARIOUS!

Norwood pulled his wet hair from out of his eyes, his entire face red in anger.

"OH YEAH?!" Norwood growled, grabbing one of the tennis balls Blake had thrown up at him and lobbing it back down towards the man. Blake dodged the sailing balls but one did manage to clock him in the middle of his face, knocking his glasses right off him!

"MY GLASSES!" the man cried as he reached out for them in vain "Come ON! That was my last pair!"

"HA! SERVES YA RIGHT, JERK!" Norwood shouted.

Blake turned back and growled, though all he could make out was a bright orange and green blur "NORWOOD!"

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Both men looked at each other; that was Nel's scream!

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO THIS TIME, NORWOOD?!" yelled Blake.

Norwood turned, looking offended "ME?! WHY IS THIS MY FAULT?!"

"IT'S ALWAYS YOUR FAULT!" Blake pointed, though he was pointing to the plant NEXT to Norwood.

By this time, Norwood had had enough of Blake and without thinking twice, he grabbed the side of the balcony ladder and slid down to Deanna's balcony which was right next to Blake's.

"Norwood?!" Deanna called, surprised to see the wet Nicelander suddenly appear on her balcony "The HECK-!?"

"COME HERE YOU!" snarled the wet Nicelander.

Norwood made another leap and jumped on Blake, the two fighting right there on the balcony.

"GAH! GET OFF ME YOU RED-HEADED CAT FREAK!" Blake growled, pushing his hands in Norwood's fat face.

Norwood pushed back, tugging on Blake's mustache "URGH! YOU FIRST YOU TENNIS LOVIN' GEEK!"

Blake tossed Norwood into his apartment and for a moment or two, the only thing anyone could hear was the sound of breaking china and loud thumping. After much struggling, Norwood managed to throw Blake off of him and panting, he ran towards the door.

"DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTIN' AWAY, BUTT HOLE!" Blake yelled, RIGHT before running face first into the wall NEXT to his door.

"Okay, this isn't worth it anymore!" Norwood growled as he scampered down the hallway "I gotta get ta Nel, tell her what happened an' end all of this!"

The Nicelander turned towards the stairs, nearly crashing into Don and Lucy who were running down the opposite way.

"I'M GONNA MAKE YA EAT THOSE VIOLIN PIECES, DON!"

The freckled Nicelander shot up the stairs, gunning it towards Nel's place but once he got there…

"NEL!?"

The apartment was empty.

Norwood let out an angered groan as he slid down the wall; he was wet, he was tired, and he was HUNGRY.

But worst of all, he STILL hadn't found Tombo!

He panted as he sat on the floor "Beautiful day in tha neighborhood?"

"You have no idea…." Cackled an evil voice.

Norwood looked up, seeing an angry Blake standing before him but it wasn't Blake's mood that frightened the Nicelander….

IT WAS THE FACT THAT HE HAD HIS TENNIS BALL SHOOTER STRAPPED TO HIS BACK.

"Bull sh-!"

And then Blake started shooting at Norwood, the poor man defenseless as he was hit multiple by the onslaught of tennis balls.

"BLAKE! OW! I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHIN' TA DESERVE THIS!"

"Like FUN ya did!" Blake roared, remembering to aim at the bright orange moving thing considering he couldn't see much of anything else. Norwood flung open Nel's door for cover as he tried to dodge the tennis balls but to his luck, the shooter jammed!

"Darn it!" yelled Blake, trying to regain control "I KNEW I should have had Felix fix th-!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Norwood pounced upon Blake like a cat going in for the kill! Blake threw off his shooter and quickly blocked but Norwood was already on him, the two fighting once again!

"YA THINK PELTIN' ME WITH BALLS IS FUNNY?! HUH!?"

"Y-Yeah! Wanna make somethin' of it?!" growled Blake.

The fight continued, both men making their way to the stairs! As if things couldn't get more bizarre, they both TRIPPED, ROLLING down the stairs not unlike the tennis balls that Blake had shot at Norwood not too long ago! Norwood landed first, the man hitting the wall rather hard.

"Come OOOOON! I just wanted ta find a CAT, that's all!"

"NORWOOOOOOOD!"

The man looked up, seeing Blake tumbling right towards him but the man jumped to his feet and ran, making it out the door the moment the other Nicelander crashed into the wall. Norwood tried to run out to the lawn, not even seeing Don and Lucy in front of him.

"URRRRRGH! GET OFFA ME LUCY!" Don screamed, the woman on his back, pulling at his cheeks.

"O-okay, if I make it out there, I should-!"

"C'MERE!"

Norwood turned just in time to see Blake jump at him, both men falling to the ground as their fight continued.

"OW! LET GO OF MY HAIR, BLAKE!" screamed Norwood.

"YOU FIRST!"

"YA DON'T HAVE ANY HAIR!"

Blake got a good hold of Norwood for a moment and using all the strength he had, he pushed him forward, the red-head losing his balance as he crashed RIGHT into Don.

"OH MY GOODNESS, DON!"

"GAH! DON! DON'T LET-!"

Norwood tuned his head as he saw a huge splash, looking towards the duck pond to see LUCY sitting in the middle of it.

"Well, guess I'm not the only wet one around here…." The man said in an embarrassed voice.

By now Blake was walking around in circles, unable to see ANYTHING "FOR THE LOVE OF PROGRAMMERS! WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOIN' ON?! I CAN'T SEE!"

"*HIC!*"

"And who keeps hiccuping?!"


	4. Lucy

Lucy- NOISE

Lucy woke up bright and early, full of energy and excitement and why wouldn't she be? She had BIG plans for today!

On any other occasion, Lucy usually liked to sleep in a bit late on weekends but she was just too excited to sleep this time! She ran to her bathroom, freshening up before darting off to her closet to put on her best dress and shoes.

"Gotta look my best when I show up!" the Nicelander hummed to herself, curling the blond and pink streaks in her hair.

The little woman than grabbed her purse, planning on getting a bite to eat once she hit the station. As she left, she ran into Gene, the woman getting a cheeky look on her face as she spied the Nicelander in blue.

If you thought VANELLOPE liked to annoy Gene, then you didn't know Lucy.

"Helloooooooo, Mayor Gene!" the Nicelander said all before leaping and simply embracing Gene in a vice-like hug, squeezing the air out of him.

The mayor was successfully squished but also annoyed. Lucy knew full well that the man didn't particularly care for sudden hugs from just ANYONE, even his own neighbors but being caught, he had no choice but to give on back, even though it was rather half-hearted and weak.

"Yes, yes, good morning to you too, young lady." Gene mumbled, patting the woman on her head "And where are you off to so early?"

"Just goin' ta DDR!" Lucy said with a wink "They just uploaded their new remixes and the CD goes on sale today! I GOTTA get it!"

"Well, be careful!" Gene said "You know this arcade is full of ruffians!"

"Aw, don't worry about me Genie!" Lucy twittered "If they much as DARE mess with me, I'll give 'em a one-two punch and a Nicelander KICK!"

The mayor let out a weak laugh as Lucy then walked into the elevator, waving as she went down.

"Hehe, he's so fun to mess with!"

* * *

It came to no surprise to Lucy that there were other characters up and awaiting for the new CD release, tons of characters lined up already at the entrance of the game.

"Wowowow-WOW! Look at all these people!" the small woman said, standing on her tip-toes to get a better look "You'd never really expect to see THIS many people!"

"Hello Ms. Lucy!" said a voice from the crowd.

The Nicelander turned around to see Snowanna Rainbau waving to her, another racer ducking behind her shyly.

"SNOWANNA!" Lucy said, rushing over to the racer and giving her a hug "It's always nice to see a fellow music appreciator here!"

Snowanna gave Lucy a smug grin as she waggled her glasses "Of course! I wouldn't miss a release date for ANYTHIN'!"

There was a small whimper from behind Snowanna which grabbed the attention of the Nicelander. All Lucy could see was someone dressed in red, white, and blue.

"Say, who's behind ya?"

"Gah, Bezzie! C'mon!" Snowanna groaned, pulling her friend from behind her, the little racer blushing from head to toe.

Lucy smiled at the cute little girl "Awww, an' who is this?"

"I think you've met Adorabezzle before…." Snowanna said, smiling nervously "Sorry that's she's actin' like this but she's kind of shy."

"'M not…." Adorabezzle mumbled, still looking down at her feet. Lucy smiled warmly at the girl, wanting to cheer her up a bit.

"Aw, come on kid! Don't be so worried! We're all friends here!"

The popsicle racer looked up a bit, still a bit too shy to look Lucy in the face but she eventually found the courage to do so.

"S-sorry that I didn't say hi before." the kid meeped

"There's nothin' ta be sorry about kiddo!" Lucy said, patting Adorabezzle on the head.

"ALRIGHT PEOPLE! THE PLACE IS NOW OPEN!" shouted a familiar DJ with glasses "IT'S A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE JOINT SO YA BETTER HURRY!"

Snowanna and Lucy looked at each other with huge smiles before letting out screams of delight, poor Adorabezlle shrinking to the floor with not a clue how to react.

"COME ON GIRLS! LET'S GET THOSE CDS!"

Lucy took hold of both Snowanna's and Adorabezzle's hands, dragging them through the crowd like a linebacker making his way through the field.

"OUTTA MY WAY!" the Nicelander roared.

"W-WHOA!" shouted Adorabezzle "M-Ms. Lucy is REALLY into this, isn't she?!"

Lucy continued to make her way towards the front of the crowd but as she was soon to find out, the place was even more packed near the front, the smaller characters soon overwhelmed by the crowd.

"Where are the CDs?!" Snowanna said, looking around.

"THERE!" Lucy pointed, following the wave of people heading towards the venue area.

Adorabezzle shook a bit, not sure what to do "Um, maybe we shoul-"

"NO TIME TA WAIT, BEZZIE!" Snowanna said, wasting no time in moving forward "WE GOTTA PRESS ON IF WE WANT THOSE CDs!"

The three continued to push on but as they did, the crowd only seemed to close in tighter around them! Even with Lucy leading the pack, the smaller characters were starting to feel the crush of the group and they were soon losing each other!

"SNO!" the shy racer cried, reaching out to her friend as she felt herself being pulled away.

"Aw MAN!" Snowanna growled "If I knew I would have been stuck like this, I would have just waited outside last NIGHT!"

Lucy balled her tiny fist, a grin appearing on her face "Don't worry ladies! I'm gonna get those CDs for us!"

The Nicelander then began to climb atop a character.

"OW!" shouted one character!

"HEY!" cried another!

There was a sharp wail from someone down below "GET YOUR HEELS OUTTA MY EYE!"

Snowanna gasped as she watched the Nicelander climb up the crowd; could people do that? Was it polite?!

"MS. LUCY!"

"IT'S THE ONLY WAY!" the Nicelander called, looking down at the two Candy racers.

"OW! Watch it lil lady!" a certain fighter yelled, rubbing the side of his cheek.

"Sorry, Ken! But ya left me no choice!" Lucy grinned, petting the man on the head.

Now on top, Lucy began to clumsily stumble her way towards the front of the crowd. It was worse than walking on QUICKSAND and considering how short and stubby Lucy's legs were, her balancing act was a tough one!

"GOTTA! GET! MY CD!"

The woman then heard a scream from the middle of the sea of people. She looked back, her eyes doing wide!

"THE KIDS!" the woman cried.

Lucy scampered back towards the sound, not even realizing that she was stepping on head in the process AGAIN.

"GAH! ANNOYIN' NICELANDER!"

"HEY!"

"I said I was SORRY, Ken!"

Where were they? Where were they?

"Ms. Lucy!" cried a voice "Down HERE!"

"Oh, THERE ya are!" Lucy said in relief.

"W-we're down here!" Adorabezzle trembled, cowering against Snowanna as the two were being accosted by Pookas!

"HEY! Back off buddy! You were the one tryin' ta eat Beezie's hat!" the snow cone racer said, angrily stomping towards the mole-like creature.

"GIMMIE YOUR HANDS!" Lucy said, reaching down for the two. The girls then grabbed onto the Nicelander's hand and with one strong pull, they were hoisted up on top of the crowd!

"GUYS!"

"Sorry, Sorcerers!"

"O-okay, now what?" the popsicle racer panted, finding it unsteady on top of the sea of characters.

"We make a rush for it and get our CDs, that's what!" Lucy grinned, pointing towards the stand.

"Hey guys! Just wanted ta give ya a heads up!" Skrillex shouted from his microphone "We only have a box of two-hundred of these things left for today so ya better get 'em while their HOT!"

"NO!" cried Snowanna "I didn't come all this way just ta go back home empty handed!"

A certain Nicelander shared the same thought with Snowanna but the very thought of going home without her precious CD only fueled her energy! Lucy HAD to get to the front of the line!

"I'll make sure ya get a copy…" the woman growled "Ya can be sure of THAT!"

Lucy took the hands of the kids once again, pulling them through, or better yet, ABOVE the crowd but as they discovered, they weren't the only ones hungry for the CDs. The entire crowd began to jump up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs but the three ladies?

Well, it was like they were trapped in an ocean; an ocean of rage.

"AURGH! I THINK THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME!" Snowanna screamed, sinking into the crowd as she felt someone pulling down on her leg.

"SNO!" yelled in terror, watching her friend sink in the mire of characters.

"UUURGH! GO ON-! WITHOUT ME!" Snowanna chocked, her hand reaching out towards the sky!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And that was the last Adorabezzle saw of her friend.

For that moment.

In reality, Snowanna was SAFER on the ground than she was onto of the other characters, the little racer falling through the gap and landing on top of…

Mario?

"What's a-this?!" the plumber said, shaking his head "Its-a a rain' kids today!"

"Opps. Sorry Mr. Mario!"

Back on top, Adorabezzle was crying her eyes out albeit a bit too dramatically.

"I-I-I'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN!" she sobbed "SHEEEEE was my BESTEST friend ever! And now she's D-D-D-D-DEAAD!"

"I'm not dead!"

"Do not fret, popsicle themed girl!" Lucy shouted, getting into a dramatic pose "I know the perfect way to avenge your friend!"

"I said I wasn't DEAD!"

"H-how?!" asked the crying racer, wiping her nose.

"THIS WAY!"

Without saying so much as a word, Lucy PICKED up Adorabezzle and aimed her for the CD stand.

"W-WAIT! I'M NOT THAT AERODYNAMIC!" the little racer cried, flailing her arms and legs.

"Trust me on this kid!" smiled the Nicelander, oblivious to the fear she was putting into the kid!

"WAIT! WAIT!" cried Snowanna from the crowd "WHAT'S GOIN' ON?! I WANNA SEE!"

Before another word could be said, Lucy HURLED Adorabezzle at the stand, the racer screaming at the top of her lungs as she went FLYING past everyone like a rocket!

"So Skrillex, when is the next shipment coming in again?"

The DJ rubbed his chin "I think about in the next 48 hours, if we're-"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"What the-?"

CRASH!

Adorabezzle and Skrillex's skulls made contact that day, both characters falling to the ground as CDs rained everywhere! The racer was of course dizzy but when she saw three CDs laying near her feet, it was as if she had been hit by an instant cure!

"I GOT 'EM!" she said happily, holding them above her head for Lucy to see.

"ALRIGHT KID!" the Nicelander cheered "Didn't I tell ya I'd get 'em for ya?!"

"Why's she holdin' em in a triangle formation?" Snowanna asked, her head popping up from the crowd.

"W-WAIT! CAN'T-A YOU PICK-A ONE UP FOR A-ME, TOO?!"

* * *

Luckily for Lucy, it turned out throwing Adorabezzle was the best thing should could have done. Skrillex wasn't upset about having a kid thrown at him (he later admitted that WORSE things had been thrown at him) and being humored by the entire thing, he signed all three of the characters CDs!

And it wasn't even NOON yet!

After saying good-bye to the Sugar Rush racers, Lucy made her way home, much too excited to even worry that she looked like she had been through a brawl.

"I can't wait, I can't wait!" she squealed, going up the elevator.

Music time.

"Gotta put this in, gotta put this in!" Lucy said as she rushed to her CD player.

"Now, just relax, okay?" said a muffled voice from next door.

"Huh?" the young Nicelander squeaked, going over to her wall and putting an ear to it.

"Are you sure this *HIC!* is going to *HIC!* work? URRGH!"

"Gene, stop moving like that! You're only going to strain yourself!"

STRAIN?

"So*HIC!*orry! I *HIC!* can't *HIC!* help *HIC!* when *HIC!* ya *HIC!* grab *HIC!* me *HIC!* like *HIC! HIC!*"

GRAB?

Lucy backed away slowly from the wall. Surly she had caught the two doing something she should not have been listening in on.

Of course, she DIDN'T want to listen on them doing anything!

"O-KAY! Now my brain DEFINITELY needs music!" she said, wanting to drown out any sound coming from next door.

Push play.

The woman's apartment began to flood with music, her mind in pure joy at what her ears were listening to.

"This is MARVELOUS!" she said, spinning around before falling on the couch "Dreaming of an endless star stream! Going from galaxy to galaxy!"

Much too full of energy, Lucy got up and started dancing to the music, singing louder and louder without even realizing it.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

Lucy let out a squeak as she looked up, noticing her ceiling fan was shaking.

"What the-?!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCY!"

The Nicelander groaned; DON.

"LUCY?! LUCILE, TURN THAT MUSIC DOWN!"

"DON! IT'S NOT EVEN THAT LOUD!"

"I CAN HEAR IT COMING UP FROM MY FLOOR, YOUNG LADY! TURN IT DOWN!"

Lucy growled, going over to her CD player…and turning the music up!

"LUCY!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"GET STUFFED DON!" Lucy yelled, already tired of the man's constant stomping from upstairs.

He would just have to get used to it. Don was always playing his darn violin loudly so why did SHE have to turn down his music for HIM?

CRASH!

Tingle tingle tingle…..

Lucy let out a gasp when she heard the sound of breaking glasses. She ran to her CD player and turned it down.

Silence.

"D-Don?" the woman said, looking around.

Nothing.

"Okay, maybe that was from something else…." The woman said nervously.

There was a loud rusty, creaking noise from outside, the woman jumping up again.

"W-what in the world is go-?!"

And then….

Violin music!

LOUD VIOLIN MUSIC!

Lucy turned to her balcony, seeing a shadow from behind the curtain.

"Oh no, he's NOT!"

The woman stomped over to her curtain, pulled them back and saw none other than DON standing there, playing his violin as LOUDLY as he possibly could, a smile on his face as if he didn't even realize she was there.

Or he KNEW and he chose to IGNORE her!

"DON!"

"HI, THAR!" the man shouted, still smiling.

"DONALD, STOP!" Lucy growled.

"OH, I'M SORRY! AM I DISTUUUURBIN' YA?!" Don said with an evil grin, playing faster than ever.

"DON! STOP THAT NOISE!"

"WHY, THANK YOU! I WILL PLAY LOUDER!" man answered, ignoring Lucy's screaming.

The woman tried to open her door but in her anger only ended up floundering with the lock.

"DON! DON! STOP IT! WHEN I GET OUT THERE, I'M GONNA MAKE YA EAT THAT THING!"

"YOU SAID YOU WANT ME TO PLAY THE LEGEND OF ZELDA THEME?! OKAY!" and so Don began to play THAT tune!

"YOU ARE SO DEAD YOU WATER-LOVIN'-! CHUNK-! AUUUUUUUUUURFGH!" the woman cried in frustration.

"Not so fun, IS IT?! IS IT?!" the man said, giving the woman a cheeky grin "HMM?! YA WANT ME TO STOP!? WELL TOO BAD!"

Lucy finally managed to open the door, jumping out from the window but Don moved just a little too quick for her, still managing to play.

"YOU GUYS! CUT IT OUT UP THERE!" Nel screamed, her yelling falling on deaf ears as the two continued to fight.

"DON! GIMMIE!" Lucy snarled, reaching for the violin.

"Not until you turn that DDR crap DOWN!" the man bellowed angrily.

"NOT UNTIL YOU-! YOU-!" Lucy was struggling for a retort "NOT UNTIL YOU STOP BEING SO OOOOOOOOOOOOLD!"

Don growled, his face turning red in anger as he glared down at the Nicelander.

"I'll have you know, that forty-two is not OLD!" and with that, the man BOOPED Lucy on the head with his bow. The woman squawked in pain, holding her tiny hands to her sore head. She didn't even look up in time to see that Don was no looking at her in regret, surprised that he had even hit her!

Okay, THAT was it!

"O-oh my!" the man stuttered, reaching for the girl "I'm sorry! Are you o-?!"

Lucy made a grab for the bow, "DID YA REALLY JUST HIT ME WITH THAT STUPID THING?!"

Don gasped as Lucy grabbed onto his violin, frantically trying to pull it from her grasp without breaking it "LUCILE! LET GO!"

"NEVER!"

The two fumbled around a bit but then, the violin slipped from BOTH their hands and fell from the balcony, falling right to the yard below and breaking apart! Don let out a horrible scream as he watched his violin smash upon the ground!

"MY VIOLIN!"

Uh-oh.

While Lucy had only wanted to TAKE Don's violin, she didn't want to really destroy the thing!

She knew she was in trouble now.

She began to slink back into her apartment but Don saw the girl, turning even more red in the face.

"LUCIIIIIIIIIIIIILE!" the man roared, fire in his eyes!

Lucy squeaked in fear as she jumped back, holding her hands out "D-Don, I'M SORRY!"

Don rushed past the girl and RIPPED her CD player out from the wall outlet.

"GAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Sorry?! I'll show you SORRY!" the man shouted as he bolted from the apartment, the CD player still in his hands.

"What tha hey-?!" Lucy screamed, not even realizing what was happening at first "COME BACK HERE!"

And then the chase began.

Lucy followed Don to the door, throwing it open and nearly hitting Norwood in the face in the process.

"H-Hey! What-?!"

The two Nicelanders hoofed it up the stairs, running as fast as their tiny little legs could carry them. Lucy was shrieking like a banshee as she attempted to keep up with Don but the more athletic Nicelander proved to be the faster, somehow keeping out of her grasp, her precious CD player still in his hands.

"Don, give it back!"

The two then found themselves on the roof, Don puffing once he stopped at the edge of the pool.

"S-So ya wanna play GAMES, now do ya lil, girl?" Don said in anger.

Lucy approached Don cautiously, knowing that ANYTHING could happen at this point "Don? DON! Don't you even DARE think about doin' what I think you're gonna do!"

"Oh I DARE!" the man replied, holding the CD player dangerously close to the edge of the pool.

"Don! I'm SORRY!" Lucy wailed "I didn't want you violin to break! I really didn't!"

"Ya sure about dat young lady?!" the man huffed, his cheeks starting to return their normal pink color.

"Donald, I'm SERIOUS!" the woman said, practically falling on her knees "Now give it back, PLEASE!"

Don was going to give the girl the benefit of the doubt but as he moved from the pool's edge….

He tripped.

And the player came slipping out of his hands!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

With a splash, in went the CD player!

"Aw, BULL!" Don said, horrified at what had happened.

All Lucy could feel in her mind was rage. Pure, heated, one hundred percent untapped RAGE!

"DONAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALD!"

The man looked over, seeing a raging Lucy rushing for him like some sort of angry tiger!

"Oi…."

BOOM!

Lucy wasted no time in plowing into the larger Nicelander, using her pink fingernails to pinch him up something AWFUL!

"DON, HOW COULD YOU!"

"YOUNG LADY! OOOOW! IT-IT JUST SLIPPED!"

Lucy struggled to hold onto Don but he managed to slip from her grasp, rolling on the ground and trying to make his way to the door but Lucy wasn't finished yet! Nope! She began lobbing POOL EQUIPMENT at the man, Don hopping up and down as best he could to avoid the oncoming items. At one point, Lucy somehow managed to lift a large pool chair over her head, her anger powering up her strength by this point!"

"N-n-now, CALM DOWN, young lady!" Don said, attempting to reason with the girl.

"I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I FINALLY GET CHA!" the woman yelled, tossing the chair but missing Don completely, the thing hitting the wall and landing in the pool with a large SPLASH, water running over the side of the wall.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"W-who was that-?!" Lucy asked herself once she realized that the scream HADN'T come from Don but someone from a floor below. The woman then heard the slam of a door and looked; Don had made his escape!

"Oh! He's not goin' ANYWHERE!"

Lucy flew towards the door and noticed the man running for his life down the stairs and she quickly followed!

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH COIN I HAD TO LAY DOWN TO GET THAT THING, DOOOOOOOON?! DO YA EVEN KNOW WHAT I HAD TO DO TO GET THAT CD?! I USED A CHILD AS A GRENADE! A CHIIIILD!"

Don continued to dodge Lucy's fire and made a beeline for the door, the woman following him. The two busted through the atrium, Don making the mistake of turning in a poor attempt to calm the girl down.

"N-now, just RELAX solider! I'm sure Felix can fix your player so-!"

"CRAM IT DON!" the woman roared "I'M THROUGH TALKIN' WITH YA!"

Lucy made her move, launching herself right on Don's face as the man screamed and flailed all over the place, Lucy once again scrambling over him like a rabid hamster.

"OH LORDS! GET HER OFF ME! GET HER OFF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"THIS AIN'T OVER DOOOOOOON!" Lucy shrieked, grabbing Don's fat cheeks and pulling them hard.

"YAAAAAAURGH!"

"LUCILE! YOU LEAVE DON ALONE!"

The two continued to fight but not a second later, two other Nicelanders showed up, fighting their own battle.

"URGH! YOU CAT LOVIN' FREAK!" said Blake, tumbling around with Norwood. The red-headed was then pushed backwards right into Don, the man letting out a loud shout as he tripped forward with Lucy still on top of him. The sudden jolt caused the young Nicelander to loser her grip on the man and she could feel the pull of gravity working against her!

"W-WAIT! DON! I CAN'T-!"

Lucy let out a high-pitched scream as she let go of Don and fell face first into the duck pound, several birds flying off in fear as Lucy landed. She splashed around for a moment or two before she found she could simply SIT in the pound and there she sat; sopping wet, hair all over her face and her make-up running terrible. To add insult to injury, a lily pad not rested on the woman's head, hanging limply in front of her face.

Don stood horrified before the girl, scared that he might have hurt her in the middle of their tussle.

"Oh my GOODNESS!" said Don as she rushed over to the girl "A-are you okay, young lady?!"

Lucy coughed loudly, throwing the lily pad off her head in disgust. She glared up at Don, seeing that he had a hand extended to help her.

"Gee, what do YOU think, DON?!"

Without another word, Lucy took hold of Don's hand and PULLED him into the pound with her, the man letting out a scream and making a bigger splash than she did.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOIN' ON?! I CAN'T SEE!"

"*HIC!*"


	5. Nel

Nel- Ribbons and Cats

The sun rose outside the arcade, filling every game with a beautiful sunrise. Inside her apartment, Nel slept soundly, curled in her fluffy comforters.

Ah, just the way she liked it. Everything was so warm, everything was so peaceful.

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

The little Nicelander woke with a start at the blaring sound of an alarm clock…but it wasn't hers.

It was Gene's.

The woman growled as she began pounding on her wall.

"GENE! GENE! TURN THAT THING OFF!"

"Urgh, alright! ALRIGHT!" the man said, finally shutting off his alarm.

Well, someone was awake.

The fluffy little Nicelander gave a pout, not really keen on getting such a rude awakening but seeing that she was up, she might as well get ready for the day. She went to her bathroom to clean up, taking a shower with her favorite jasmine scented soap. After cleaning up, she fixed herself breakfast, turning on the radio to the sound of some peaceful music.

She knew this was going to be a relaxing day.

"Oh my goodness!" the woman said "I KNEW I forgot to do something!"

And with that, she rushed out her door and to the atrium where the mailboxes were. Everyone was so busy the previous day that Nel had forgotten to check her mail for Saturday and since she was expecting something…

"Please be there, please be there!"

YES! A package.

Nel let out a little 'Yes!' as she took the large package out of her mail box, "Just what I've been waiting for!"

Unable to contain her excitement, Nel went to open the box but found that she could not, the thing wrapped up in too much tape.

"Well, isn't that a-!"

"Careful Felix!" said Ralph, coming in through the atrium with several large crates "I don't wanna see what happens if this stuff gets too shaken up!"

"Aw, it shouldn't be THAT bad, big guy!" smiled Felix!

"Ya say that now! But wait till someone DRINKS this stuff when it's like this!"

Ah Felix! If there was anyone who could fix Nel's problem, it was him!

"Felix! Dear!" Nel called out to the man, waving "Yoo-hoo!"

Felix smiled once he saw the small Nicelander "Mornin' Nel, you're up bright n' early!"

"Yes, no thanks to our favorite Mayor…" Nel said in a harsh tone, rolling her eyes "But how are you doing this morning…and what in the world are you guys hauling upstairs THIS time?"

"This?" Ralph said with a smile "Just a somethin' from Sugar Rush I hope you guys will enjoy later on!"

"It doesn't contain something that EXPLODES, does it?" Nel asked, a cautious look on her face.

"Nah, just somethin' for parties!" Ralph chuckled "Vanellope said you guys should like it so…well, might as well bring 'em here!"

"Oh wait, before you go Felix. Can you please open this package?" asked the Nicelander.

"Sure thing, Nel!" Felix said, putting his create on the ground and going for the pocket knife in his tool belt. The man then cut through the tape and opened the box. Inside were a gaggle of sewing material; fabric, threads and ribbons, all sorts of patterns!

And it was HEAVEN for Nel!

"IT LOOKS EVEN BETTER IN REAL LIFE!" the woman chirped, nearly jumping into the box and hugging the fabric "Oooh, so soft and warm! You're going to make the best dress EVER!"

"I always forget that Nel's THAT much into sewin'…." The wrecker snickered.

"Thank you Felix, dear!" the woman said, gathering up her things "And be sure to let me know if this party you're planning is going to happen! I want to make sure I have my dress done in time for it!"

"Oh coure ma'am!" Felix nodded as he picked up his crate.

"See you two later!" Nel waved to both men as she went up the stairs back to her apartment. Nel was beside herself with excitement as her brain began to work out plans on what dress to make.

"Oh, I've always wanted to make something much more modern! I have the PERFECT shape for it, if I might say so myself!" the woman said with a snicker.

Making her way to her door, Nel spotted Deanna coming out of her apartment, yawning a bit. She was up later than usual. What was going on?

"Hello, Dee-Dee! How are you this morning?"

Deanna smiled though it was obvious she was still a little tired "Hmm? Oh, I'm fine dear! What's with all the material though? Planning on making a new dress?"

"My order came in yesterday! There's enough material here to make at least two new dresses! I saw a pattern I really wanted to work on!"

Deanna smiled, "Well, be sure to show it to me when you're done!"

"Well, wait!" said Nel as she set the box down "Why don't' we look through some designs together! I might have time to make YOU a new dress if you wanted one!"

Deanna seemed to falter a bit, backing away slightly "O-Oh, that sounds WONDERFUL dear but…er, I have something I need to take care of!"

"You do?" asked Nel, a little confused "W-well, I could-!"

"I'm sorry dear! Look at the time! You have a good day sewing your new dress!" the Nicelander said, rushing off to the elevator. Nel cocked her head to the side; she had never seen Deanna so jumpy.

"Odd. "

Something was definitely up but she couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well, Deanna usually kept to herself most of the time anyway so what right did Nel have snooping into her business. After all, she had a dress she had to make.

"Tombo? Tombo?"

Nel peeked down the fall, seeing none other than Norwood looking about for something. She sighed; more the likely it was just ANOTHER of his cats.

As long as the thing didn't get near her, or her HAIR, everything would be fine.

If only she had looked down. If only she had noticed the tiny kitten following her the entire time but by now it was too late. The door was already closed.

"*HIC!*"

* * *

The little Nicelander hummed a tune as she got out all her supplies, going over the pattern once more as she looked at the fabric in front of her.

"Alright, let's get started!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

Nel squeaked, looking around for the source of the sudden sound.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCY! TURN THAT JUNK DOWN!"

Nel growled as she went over to the far wall of her apartment, knocking back in return.

"DON!"

"WHAT?!"

"YOU KNOW YOU HAVE OTHER NEIGHBORS!" the woman shouted angrily.

"FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD NEL!"

"JUST SHUT IT UP OVER THERE!" Nel yelled, walking away from the wall and making herself comfortable in front of her sewing machine.

She was about to turn the machine on when….

OUT OF THE STARS, CAME A TWISTING RAINBOW! SHOWERS OF LOVE WE-!

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCILE!"

"GET STUFFED DON!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

For a moment, there was another series of stomps but then a crash.

"What in the-?!"

Nel sprang from her seat and walked out the door but as she did, she noticed that Don's door was wide open.

"Nicelander Donald! Ya BETTER have one good excuse for all this noise you're makin' because-!"

The woman stopped once she saw Don making his way to the balcony, climbing down the ladder with something held tightly under his arm. Nel groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"As long as they aren't botherin' ME…."

The woman slunked back to her apartment, once again trying to get herself situated to begin her sewing. She looked over the pattern again, making sure everything was cut and measured perfectly.

"Alright, if I cut this here, I might be able to get that little ripple effect that I like but if I do that, it might end up looking a bit TOO gaudy! So maybe-!"

Violin music began to fill the air, the woman blinking as she slowly turned her head towards the window.

"What the he-?"

Nel approached her balcony window, the music only growing louder.

And louder.

AND LOUDER!

"DOOOOOOOOON!"

"OH, I'M SORRY! AM I DISTUUUUUUUUUURBIN' YA?!"

Nel opened up her window and walked out to her balcony only to see DON a floor below, the man playing his violin as fast as he could right on Lucy's balcony!

"WHAT'S THAT?! YOU WANT THE LEGEND OF ZELDA THEME?!" the man said with an evil smile, kicking the window a few times for good measure.

"DON-! YOU-! CHUBBY-! FFUUUUUUUUUURGH!" roared an obviously enraged Lucy.

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" Nel screamed but of course, no one could hear her over Don's loud playing.

If only she had something to throw, THEN things would be better. A LOT better!

But alas, she could do nothing. With a fed-up growl, Nel stomped back into her apartment, slamming the window as hard as she could.

Okay, time for a new game plan!

The woman ran to her bedroom and got her mp3 player and headphones, "Alright, the best way to drawn out unwanted noise is to put in some WANTED noise!" She switched the device on, soothing music flowing into her ears. For the first time since all the nonsense began, Nel smiled, her mind finally returning to the zone she wanted to be in to sew her dress.

"Aw, yes…." She sighed "This is EXACTLY what I needed!"

The woman felt like she was FLOATING as she made her way to the sewing machine, finally starting it up as she began her work. Nel's mind was now one hundred percent on her work; nothing could tear her away! She stitched and crimped, folded and tucked. Her little fingers worked at the speed of light to make sure the pattern was stitched perfectly!

If only she knew what was happening right outside her window.

"Mew…."

The woman reached into her sewing basket, pulling out another spool of beautiful thread, not even noticing that she had a furry little visitor.

"Oh, I can't wait to try this on!" the woman twittered happily, not even turning around once.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Not even once.

"NEL!"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"NEEEEEEEEEEEL!"

Norwood looked down, seeing Tombo popping his head out of the basket. If only the woman had seen the look of terror on the man's face, she would have known how desperate he was to get in. Norwood continued to pound on the door but Nel didn't even flinch, her music drowning out the man's pitiful cries.

"THE HECK ARE YA DOIN'?!"

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS BLAKE!"

And then Norwood disappeared to the other balcony.

Nel stood back to admire her work but the noticed that someone was missing.

"Hmmmm…." The woman said, rubbing her chin "This needs another bow!"

Of course! It wouldn't be a Nicelander Nel original if it didn't have a BOW on it!

Nel went to the box to get the ribbon she had received with her package but the moment she looked in, the ribbon was nowhere to be found!

"Hey, what-?!" the woman stammered as she dug through the box "Aw come ON! I saw that spool in here not a second ago! How could I lose it THAT fast!?"

She looked on the floor, she looked on the chair, she looked EVERYWHERE but her ribbon was nowhere to be found! She stood up, her hands on her hips and a pout on her face.

"Well, that's some-!"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who is it?"

"Nel?! Prunella, are you in there?!" cried a startled voice from the other side of the door.

The woman scowled; it was Roy and even worse, he had called her by her real name again. Programmers, out of ALL the names the group had in their backstories, SHE had to be stuck with the WORST. The woman walked over to the door but no sooner had she opened it, Roy jumped at her, nearly lifting her off the ground!

"TELL ME YOU'VE SEEN MY WALLET!"

"Er, not exactly?" Nel said, rightfully confused.

"GAH! Where is that thing?!" Roy said, putting his hands to his face "Who knows who has it now! And if they have my wallet, they have all my money and they have all my info and if they have all my info, then they know where I live an-!"

"Roy, Roy! Calm down, dear!" Nel said, trying her best to calm the man down "Just….just lemme help you-!"

"COME ON!"

"GAH!"

Nel didn't even have a chance to stop and think as Roy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the hallway, the two passing Gene who looked LESS than pleased and a bit like he had been thrown around a bit.

"Gene, I-!"

"NO ROY, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR *HIC!* WALLET!" the Nicelander snapped as he stomped towards the hall.

"But-!"

There was suddenly a large crash from Nel's apartment, the woman jumping back in shock as she heard the sound.

"Oh, NO!"

"N-Nel?! Are you okay?!"

Nel pulled away from Roy, a nervous smile on her face "Roy, darlin'! Maybe ya should ask someone else to help you with this! I have something else I need to take care off!"

The tiny Nicelander ran as fast as her short legs could carry her back to her apartment only to find that her dress had been pulled to the ground and there was string and ribbon everywhere!

"WHAT THE-?! WHO'S BEEN IN MY APARTMENT?!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the hall.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Nel looked down, seeing a small bump in the middle of the dress.

"What the…."

There was more movement, the bump suddenly focusing on Nel.

"O-O-okay, somethin' freaky is DEFINITELY happening now!" the woman stammered, backing away a bit.

The dress started skittering one way but then another and then…it stopped right at Nel! The woman backed up again but found herself corned. She trembled a bit though she tried to stand her ground.

"W-what are you lookin' at-?!" she scowled.

If only she had walked near the kitchen! At least she could have gotten a frying pan!

Just when things couldn't get any weirder, the dress shook a bit and then JUMPED towards the Nicelander, her eyes shrinking in shock.

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"MEW!"

Nel opened her eyes and saw a tiny, TINY kitten pop out from the folds of the dress, landing right on her lap. The woman could only stare in shock as the tiny thing tumbled about before looking up at her, trying to paw up at her hairband.

"Mew….."

Norwood.

Nel groaned as she took the kitten into her hands and then….

"NEL!"

"Nory?"

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?!"

"WHAT ARE YA BLAMIN' ME FOR?!"

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, AS USUAL!"

The sounds of fighting, china breaking, and running.

What was going on?

"Do I even WANT to know?!" the woman growled, getting to her feet and walking down the hall.

"But Dee-Dee! Don't go!"

Nel made her way out of her apartment, going down the elevator to see just what was going on. As she waited for the doors to open, she looked down at the tiny kitten, the thing blinking up at her with huge green eyes.

Green eyes; just like Norwood.

The man she knew she had to BEAT with her shoe as soon as she found!

"Him an' these FREAKIN' CATS!" the woman huffed, still holding tight to the kitten. It mewed again, a tiny paw swatting in the air. The woman tried her best to seem annoyed but the thing was just too adorable.

It was the eyes! It was always the eyes!

"Awwww, you poor lil thing…." Nel said as she finally gave in, rubbing its head with her finger gently "Just hang tight, lil guy. Once I get you back to NORY, he should be able to help you."

DING.

Nel stepped out of the elevator and looked out the atrium, only to see a gaggle of Nicelanders fighting on the front lawn.

Don had Lucy on his back and was screaming for his life and Norwood was fighting with Blake, Norwood dripping wet for some reason and Blake without his glasses.

"You have GOT to be kidding…." The woman sighed.

"NEL! NEL!" panted Roy, coming from the back entrance.

Nel jumped as she saw Roy running up to her, the man's bags packed as if he were trying to escape Niceland "Roy?! What are you doin' now!?"

"Oh goodness Nel, we're in trouble! I'm being chased by-!"

"Excuse me?" said the DEEP, BOOMING voice of a rather large character "But I wanted to return this to you!"

Both Nel and Roy looked up, their heads nearly touching the ground to even see the EYES of the figure but Nel stood her ground, recognizing the figure in a second. ROY on the other hand SCREAMED at the top of his lungs, passing out a second later.

"I see that I might have surprised the little guy…." The man said in an embarrassed voice "Mind givin' this back to him when he wakes up?"

Nel was then handed a wallet; Roy's wallet.

"Er, sure thing!" Nel smiled "But if you don't mind, would you like to stick around a bit? Perhaps help me with things out there?" the woman said, pointing to the fight that was still going on.


	6. Don

Don- Tea and DDR

Don snored loudly as he slept on his chubby stomach, talking amongst himself every few seconds.

"Snnrk, wh-why yes, I would like to take a ride to the stars in that ferris-wheel! Snnnrk! Oh, N! You're such a devil, you are!" he giggled, swatting a hand in the air.

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

"GENE! GENE! SHUT THAT ALARM OFF!"

Don woke with a snort, his hair in his eyes. He looked around sleepily as he sat up.

"Aw come on GUYS! It's early!" the man yawned, stretching.

The blaring alarm stopped, the sailor once again stretching to get the sleepy feeling off of him. He then took a step away from his bed….and promptly fell right to the floor.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

Time for his daily push-ups!

Don wasn't known for being tougher than the average Nicelander for nothing!

After his morning workout, Don went to the bathroom. He inspected himself in the mirror; as always, his face had a nice amount of stubble on it much to his great dislike. How he wished he could grow a nice beard or mustache like the other men of Niceland but to his misfortune, growing such facial hair made him look a LOT older than he was.

And like his father.

Urgh, backstories.

After a shave, Don made himself a quick breakfast and went out to greet his neighbors but as usual they made sure to keep the conversation as light as possible with Don.

It wasn't that Don wasn't a nice guy; he was one of the most friendliest of people in the world!

It was just that he had a…a habit.

Of talking.

A bit TOO much.

"Well good mornin', Roy!" Don beamed brightly as he went up to Roy, the other man flinching a bit.

"A-a-ahhahaha! Good mornin' ta ya too, Donnie!"

"I'll say it is! Why, I haven't seen a mornin' this bright an' sunny since last summer!" the sailor chuckled to himself.

It had begun.

"Ah, remember it Roy? It was such a wonderful summer! Before all that mess with the Cybugs an' all! Kids were streamin' in day in an' day out an' we hadn't been played with so much in years! Yup, that's why I LOVE mornin's like this! It brings out the best in people an' the best in me, wouldn't ya agree there, pri-!"

"DON!" Roy shouted, trying his best not to seem rude "Er, I'm sorry Donald. B-but I have other things to worry about!"

"Oh?" the sailor said, his interests peaked "Is it something I might be able to lend a hand to?"

Roy shook his head quickly, backing away a bit "No, no, no, no! I don't wanna waste your time!" The scared little Nicelander looked to and from, becoming more frantic by the second.

"Sure about that?" Don inquired again, raising an eyebrow. The other man sighed heavily, placing a hand to his head as he walked back into his apartment.

"Sorry, Don. I'll try to talk to you later."

"Oh…O-okay then…"

Well, Roy was gone but that didn't mean the others weren't! Don tried his best to start up a friendly conversation with his fellow Nicelanders but try as he might each one seemed to squirm away from him, quickly excusing themselves to go somewhere.

Blake had already left for the day, Mary went back to her apartment to bake pies, Lucy had left for some silly CD, Nel went to get her mail, Norwood was nowhere to be found, Deanna was missing and Gene had gone into the penthouse with Felix and Ralph.

And there was one little Nicelander still in the middle of the hall, feeling a tad lonely with no one to talk to. He sighed heavily, removing his cap and running his hand through his gray hair.

"Wow, did I really just scare everyone off?" he chuckled to himself.

"OH DONNIE!"

Don jolted when he heard that familiar voice "ERK!"

MEG.

Uh-oh. THIS could be TROUBLE.

Meg was the only one matched in Niceland with the chatting power of Don and to make things even more awkward, EVERYONE knew that Meg had a bit of a thing for the sailor.

A BIG thing.

"Oh Donnie!" the woman sang out, rushing over to the man, not even noticing that his cheeks were turning redder than normal.

"O-oh HI, Megan!" the sailor stammered, his feet slowly taking him backwards "H-how are things this morning?"

Meg fluttered her long eyelashes at the man, "Just fiiiiine, dear! Would you mind joining me for tea? I was working on a new brew this morning when-!"

Don gulped; once Meg had you hooked in for tea, you were done. There was NO escape.

"A-as much as I would dear, I have…er, things to get to!"

"No, no, no! You are not going ANYWHERE, Donald!" the woman said with a cheeky grin, pulling him into her apartment "You ARE going to try this tea, and you're going to like it!"

"W-wait, Meg!" Don gasped, using all his strength to pull against Meg "A-as nice it is for ya to invite me to tea, I-I have another engagement I MUST get to!"

"But DOOOOONNIE, its TEEEEEEA!" Meg whined, pulling on Don's arm as hard as she could, the man proving to be a tough customer!

"Why don't you go ask Deanna?!"

"She's asleep and I don't want to disturb her!"

"Then…why not NEL?!"

"I don't know where she wandered off to!"

By now, Don was hanging onto the door frame for dear life but Meg still had him in her grasp, pulling the man around his chubby middle with all the strength she could.

"Come on Donnie, don't be so stubborn!" the woman giggled, completely oblivious to why Don was trying to escape her "You'll LOVE my new brew!"

"I'm sure I will!" Don said as he pulled "But let me just-!"

The man then felt a sharp pinch on his side, Meg grabbing him on his waist where she KNEW his tickle spot was.

"PINCH!"

Don let out a squeak as he lost his footing, falling into the other apartment and watching as the door closed in his face.

He was DOOMED.

"Tombo? Tombo, where are you?"

* * *

As Don sat in Meg's apartment, he couldn't help but feel as if the room were starting to close in around him. Poor Meg; Don knew that she MEANT well but she could get a tad too excited around him and being the man that he was, he just didn't know what to do when faced with the woman.

In this case, he could do nothing more than just sit down, shut up, and drink his tea.

Maybe that would make the time pass faster and he would be able to escape.

"I hope you like rosehips and strawberries!" Meg said sweetly, pouring a cup for the still blushing sailor "It's perfect for calming nerves…." The woman then gave the man a rather sultry smile, much to his growing embarrassment "Which it seems, you need a good dose of!"

The man just shook his head and smiled as he sipped the tea though internally, he was screaming horribly.

That was until he realized that the tea was good.

Not just good. VERY good!

"Why, this IS rather good Meg!" the man said, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

The woman let out a gleefully laugh "I knew it! Another success in tea history!"She turned, eying Don once more "Maybe I should have you test out all my teas, sailor!"

Don gulped, feeling a bit like a cornered animal now "Er, that's a nice offer DEAR, but perhaps you should have a more trained pallet do this? Perhaps the mayor! You know how he likes to ea-!"

"Nonsense!" Meg cut in, moving closer to the sailor and making him feel even MORE uncomfortable "Gene might EAT a lot of food but he just doesn't have the, how can I put it? The SENSES that I need when it comes to tea testing!"

Don's cheeks began to blush brightly again; he knew EXACTLY what Meg meant and it had NOTHING to do with tea.

NOTHING AT ALL.

"A-and what makes you think I qualify?" Don smiled nervously "I-I mean, I really don't know the difference between green tea and black! Most of 'em taste the same to me!"

Without warning Meg took hold of Don's face, the man squeaking as the woman held his cheeks and made them squish out hilariously.

"You have…ruggedness? Charm? VERY cute dimples?"

Don just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Wait…what does this have to do with TEA?!" the man grunted, trying to back away from the woman's hold.

"EVERYTHING!" Meg said happily, finally letting go of the man's face "Gentle tea compliments well with a rough man, don't you think?"

Don blinked, his brain going blank "UH."

Meg poured yet ANOTHER cup of tea in front of Don, pushing the cup closer "Come, come Donald. Take another sip! I know you'll enjoy it!"

The man suddenly sprang to his feet, moving back towards the door with a nervous smile "MEG! As much as I would LOVE to help you with your tea, I-I just don't feel as if I'm the right man for the job!"

Meg seemed undeterred by the man's nervousness and continued to smile up at him "But Donald, we could do so much together!"

"I'M SURE YOU WANT TO!" the man blurted out.

"Just hear me out, pweeease?" Meg begged sweetly.

Don knew he wouldn't be able to fight off those eyes for long so he turned away as best he could "Meg, I-!"

RING! RING! RING!

Saved by the bell, or better yet the PHONE.

Meg reached for her phone, picking it up "Hello?"

Chatter chatter chatter.

"Oh, yes! Your order is ready!" the woman said with a smile, her back turned.

Time to escape!

Don tiptoed back towards the door, opening it slowly and slinking out as best he could.

"Donnie!"

The sailor stopped in his tracks, a chill going up his spine.

Oh programmers, don't let Meg but upset!

Thankfully the woman was far from upset. In fact a broad grin was on her face.

"Sweetie, I forgot to mention, the postman got our mail mixed up again!"

"AGAIN?!" Don said "There must be something wrong with that boy if he keeps doing this!"

The woman nodded as she pointed over to her mail basket "Yes, Blake got my order of tea-leaves and I got something of yours!"

"Something?" the man said, a little confused.

"Yes! A package of some sort!" Meg continued to smile "I knew opening it would be rude so I have no idea what it is."

Don sighed as he picked up the package, giving Meg a little nod as he headed out the door "Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome!" Meg waved before going back to her conversation on the phone, one that would probably last a good hour or two.

Don couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt as he left the apartment; despite how he felt when Meg tried to make the moves on him, the woman was such a sweetheart. He couldn't stay mad at her. The man looked down and tore a piece of the paper from the package and as he looked at what was inside, a smile formed on his face.

"Hey, hey! The newest one came in!" Don chuckled to himself, holding up another kit for a ship in a bottle.

*HIC!*

Don looked around the hall as a loud hiccup echoed through. Finding nothing, he shrugged and went back into his apartment.

* * *

"This ought to be a nice challenge!" the man said to himself as he got out his ship-making tools.

If one were to look around Don's place, they would just be in shock at how many ships in bottles the man had. His entire front room was just DECORATED with the things and even more shocking was a nice portion of the collection had been made by Don's own hands. Sure, some where bought and others were programmed hand-me-downs but most of them Don had made in his own spare time and this newest edition would be no different.

The man set to work, working carefully at the fragile pieces of what was to be his next masterpiece.

Cut this part.

Glue here.

Pull there.

Don was used to it and the harder challenges he got, the more he loved it. He adjusted his eyepiece as he was about to make a very important adjustment on one of the sails.

"Careful….careful…."

"BRINGING DOWN RAINBOWS FROM THE HEAVENS! LIKE ALL THE STARS ABOVE!"

Don yelped in shock at the sudden wave of music from below him, losing his grip and dropping the sail on the table. After a second of collecting himself, the man growled.

Lucy.

What luck to live above the LIVELIEST of the Nicelanders.

"Okay, okay….it's just a little music…" Don assured himself "Lucy is just…she's just letting out some energy!"

"LA LA LA LA LA! HIKARI DREAMS FOREVER! LA LA LA TO LA!"

Don rubbed his temples.

He HATED DDR music; absolutely HATED it.

To him, it was like the composing of a drunken and high singer who was much too out of their mind to even realize what they were doing. And to hear it playing so loudly below him?

"I wonder if Meg has anymore of that calmness tea?" Don growled, getting up and going across the hall to his neighbor, the music still blaring.

"Wallet, wallet! Gotta find my wallet!" Roy said, running down the hall at top speed.

Don knocked on Meg's door but after a few moments, no one answered.

Right, she was talking with a client earlier. Perhaps she had gone to visit them.

What luck; Don's head was starting to hurt, his project was lying in a heap on the table and Lucy was still blaring her music.

"Guess I have to power through it…" Don said to himself, sitting back down at his table and picking up his tools again.

"OH WAWAWAWAWA! LALALALA!"

Don nearly fell out of his chair on that one!

The man growled as he stood up, stomping on the floor.

"LUCY! LUCY!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

No reply.

"LUCY, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR THIS!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCILE, TURN THAT JUNK DOWN!"

"AW COME ON DON!"

"YOU HEARD ME YOUNG LADY! TURN IT DOWN!"

For a moment, there was nothing…..

And then the music got LOUDER!

"LUCIIIIIIILE!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

BAM BAM BAM!

"DON?! DON! STOP IT! YOU HAVE OTHER NEIGHBORS YA KNOW!" shouted Nel.

"FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD, NEL!"

"GET STUFFED, DON!"

The music only grew louder, shaking EVERYTHING in Don's apartment! Soon, the man's ships were starting to fall from their place on the walls.

"NO, NO, NO!" the man yelled, making a dive for each one of the bottles.

One fell from the fireplace!

GOT IT!

Another from above the couch!

GOT THAT TOO!

Don was running here and there trying to make sure that his collection was safe! This was worse than when Ralph wrecked the building and at least there was PURPOSE for that!

All this music?

TOTALLY UNNEEDED!

The sailor was sure that every one of his bottles had been caught, but he then looked over to the side table, seeing that one was beginning to roll from its stand!

"Oh no…." the man said in a thin voice, his eye twitching.

CRASH!

The ship lay in tatters on the floor, Don looking at it as if the most precious thing to him had been destroyed. In truth, it HAD been!

That ship in the bottle was built (at least according to his backstory) by his FATHER!

The man growled angrily, stomping off to his room "So Lucy wants to hear music, huh?!"

Don rushed from his room and out onto his balcony, something tucked carefully under his arm. Being as careful as he could, he climbed down to Lucy's balcony and pulled out….

HIS VIOLIN.

The man tuned it and began to play as loudly as he could, right there on Lucy's balcony!

"WHAT THE-?!" the woman shouted from inside. The curtains were then thrown up and who should look at Don but a stunned Lucy, the woman looking in disbelief at what was happening!

"HI THAR!" Don said smugly, playing away "ISN'T IT A LOVELY DAY TO PLAY MUSIC?!"

"DON, STOP IT!" shouted the angry woman.

"WHAT WAS THAT?! AM I DISTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURBIN' YA?!" the man cackled, paying no mind and playing away.

"OKAY! OKAY! I GET IT!" Lucy wailed, pounding her hands on the window.

Don didn't let up! He just let his fingers fly as he worked his way on his fiddle, playing louder and faster to the woman's annoyance.

"HEY! HEY! WILL YOU TWO SHUT IT UP, UP THERE?!"

No reply, just music.

Lucy put her hands to her ears and screamed, "DON! I HOPE YOUR FINGERS BREAK!"

"WHAT?! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY THE THEME OF LEGEND OF ZELDA?! OKAY!"

And that's just what he did, playing the entire song over and over and over and OVER!

"THAT'S IT!" Lucy said, opening the door and springing on Don, the man chuckling as he ducked out of the way, STILL playing a tune.

"Not so fun is it?!" the man said, keeping out of reach of the woman "Not so much fun bein' bombarded with music HUUUUUH!?"

"DON! YOU! CHUBBY-! AUUUURGFH! STOP PLAYING!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU TURN THAT DDR CRAP DOWN!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU-! YOU-! YOU STOP BEIN' SO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!"

Wrong move.

Don turned red in the face with anger as he glared down at Lucy; sure, he was one of the oldest of the Nicelanders but he WASN'T THAT FREAKING OLD!

"I'll have you know that FORTY-TWO ISN'T OLD!" and without thinking, the man SLAPPED Lucy on the top of her head with the bow, the girl yelping in shock as she put her hands to her head.

Don blinked, realizing what he had just done!

"OH!"

He wanted to teach Lucy a lesson but he didn't want to HURT her!

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" the man said, quickly reaching down to see if Lucy was okay "I didn't mean to hurt you like this, Lucy dear! I-!"

As soon as their eyes met, Don could see the FIRE burning in the woman's eyes. His face paled a bit as he knew he was in BIG trouble! The woman than grabbed Don's bow, trying to pull it away from him.

"DID YOU REALLY JUST HIT ME WITH THIS STUPID THING?!"

"Young lady, STOP!" Don yelled, holding his violin as high up away from the girl as he could, Lucy still thrashing at him.

The two wrestled for a bit, the violin held in their hands when both Nicelanders lost their grip….and the violin came tumbling down into the yard!

"MY VIOLIN!" Don cried out in agony.

CRASH.

The thing lay in splinters on the yard.

Don felt as if his heart had been ripped from him; first his dad's ship and now his violin! Was this 'Destroy Don's Property' day or something!? The man growled as he turned, seeing Lucy trying to duck back into her apartment.

"LUCIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE!" the man roared in fury, fire burning in his eyes!

"ACK! NO! I'M SORRY!"

Don was MUCH too mad at this point to even hear the girl as he bolted back into her apartment, the first thing to meet his eyes was her CD player, the very cause of all this trouble!

The man reached for it, ripping it from the outlet as he held it over his head.

"W-WHAT ARE YA DOIN'?!"

"SORRY?!" bellowed Don, his posh New England accent suddenly turning VERY rough and crass "AH'LL SHOW YA SORRY!"

Everyone knew when THAT happened, crap hit the fan. Don was angry and it was best to watch out!

The sailor tore like heck out of the apartment with Lucy's CD player, the girl screaming before she took off for him!

"DON! GIVE IT BACK!"

Don ran like heck towards the stairs, nearly running into a startled Norwood in the process.

"DON?!"

Don looked back as Lucy followed him up the stairs but thankfully he proved to be the faster. Even though his legs were just as stubby as the next Nicelander at least he was in enough shape to keep up SOME speed!

Not REMARKABLE speed but it was enough to keep out of Lucy's reach, the girl snarling at him like a rabid tiger.

The man reached the top of the stairs, kicking open the door that lead to the pool on the roof. He stopped once he reached the edge, giving Lucy a threatening look.

"So ya wanna play GAMES now, do ya lil, girl?"

"DON STOP!" cried Lucy "I said I was SORRY! Just don't drop it in the pool!"

The sailor huffed heavily as he looked at Lucy, the look on her face calming him down a bit. He stopped and looked, thinking that perhaps, just PERHAPS, he was going a tad too far with the entire fight. Even though Lucy HAD caused him to drop his violin, he knew in his heart that the girl didn't mean it.

At least, he HOPED she didn't mean it.

"What am I DOING?!" the man thought to himself, stunned at his own aggression "Am I REALLY going to wreck this kid's things?!"

Don took a deep breath, any anger that was left in him finally disappearing. He hung his head low as he held the CD player to his chest and out of the dangers of the pool.

"Okay, Lucy but you-!"

As the man took a step forward, the unthinkable happened.

He tripped.

Don landed on his chubby face with a SPLAT and as for the CD player?

Up into the air it went….

And down into the pool it fell.

"AW BULL!"

Lucy screeched at the top of her lungs, the man only thinking the worse as he watched the appliance sink to the bottom of the water.

"Oi…."

He turned to face Lucy, the woman burning with pure rage as she glared at him. The man knew he was royally screwed at this point but being the gentleman that he was, he still attempted to get on Lucy's good side.

"N-Now, young lady-!"

BOOM!

Don felt as if his entire body had been hit with the force of a cannon ball, but this was no cannon ball he had been hit with! He had been hit with a three foot tall woman with pink and blond highlights who was now pinching and slapping him as best she could with her tiny hands and pink fingernails.

"LUCY! OW!"

Don somehow managed to roll over on his side and throw Lucy off of him but even as he attempted to run to the door he was now being pelted with various pool equipment.

"LUCY! I SAID I WAS SORRY! CALM DOWN!" the man cried, a floatie SMACKING him right in the face.

"I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN I FINALLY GET CHA!"

Don turned just in time to see Lucy lift a rather large piece of pool furniture and ATTEMPT to hit him, but the thing fell in the pool, creating a massive wave to go over the edge of the building.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The scream from below didn't stop Lucy from throwing more things at Don and to his great displeasure, he found that he was now being treated as some sort of living bulls-eye, everything that Lucy could grab hitting him every place!

That was it! It was time for the escape!

Don finally managed to get the door open and ran for his life down the stairs, Lucy following close by.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh CRAAAAAAAAAAP!" the man said, making the mistake of looking back ONCE and seeing just how insanely enraged Lucy was! He had NEVER seen the girl this angry in his life but then again, no one had ever destroyed her things before.

Until now.

Wasn't DON the lucky one?

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH COIN I HAD TO DROP TO GET THAT THING?! OR WHAT I HAD TO GET THAT CD?! I USED A CHILD AS A GRENADE! A CHILD!"

"OH PROGRAMMERS! I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN!" the man wept as he busted through the stair doors and into the atrium. Lucy was still hot on his tail but he turned, attempting one last time to talk to her.

"N-Now private don't-!"

TOO LATE!

Lucy dived on Don, the man letting out a muffled scream as he scrabbled around the yard with the girl clutching onto him. Lucy turned, grabbing Don's fat cheeks and pulling them as hard as she could.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DROP ANYTHING OF MINE IN THE POOL?! DO YA?!"

"OH PROGRAMMERS! GET HER OFF ME! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Don continued to flail about wildly, his face in great pain from the cheek pulling.

"LUCILE! LET DON GO!" someone shouted from the building.

GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

The sudden yell from the yard startled Don just enough that he tried to make a turn but instead he saw a flash of red, something crashing into him! The sailor let out a pained yelp as he began to lose his footing but he also felt that Lucy was losing her grip as well. The girl screamed in shock as her hands let go of Don's face.

"D-Don! Don't-!"

SPLASH!

Into the duck pond she went.

Don turned pale, seeing that he had once again let something slip through his fingers but it wasn't a piece of plastic this time; it was his NEIGHBOR! Ducks flew around the poor Nicelander as she flailed her arms in the water, finally managing to sit up, completely drenched.

"OH! Lucy, are you okay?!" the man said, going over to the sopping wet woman, an arm extended to help her out.

Lucy growled angrily, her mascara dripping "Does it LOOK like I'm fine!?"

The man's eyes widened in that split second as Lucy leaped forward and grabbed onto him, pulling him into the water with all her might.

"YAAAAAAAAAARG-!"

SPLASH!

"NOW WE'RE EVEN!" the woman shouted.

Don rose from the pond, his hair in his eyes as he coughed up water "I-I just wanted to build my ship!"

"*HIC!*"


	7. Blake

Blake- Racket

Unlike the rest of the Nicelander, Blake was already up, washed, and ready for action. Weekends were always busy for him since this was the day he had to coach for other characters in the arcade. Even before the others rose from their beds, he had already boarded the trolley out of GCS and made his way to Mario Tennis, the new arcade version of the game having been set up only a week ago.

"Hello, Mr. Blake!" said a Koopa Trooper cheerfully.

"Good morning to you!" the man said with a smile.

Blake loved that Litwak had installed the new edition of the game in the arcade! Not only was he able to play tennis again but with so many characters wanting to learn, he now had an opportunity to coach them!

Things were looking pretty sweet for Nicelander Blake!

"Well good morning, Princess!" Blake said to Princess Peach, setting his things up "Is everyone here and ready for their lesson?"

The blond monarch nodded happily but then her face changed "Well, with the exception of ONE person!"

"And who would that be?"

Peach huffed, crossing his arms "That Mario! He snuck out early so he could arrive on time for the new DDR single! I knew he was going to pull something like that!"

"Aw, don't fret about it dear! Let the man have a little fun!" Blake said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh, I would…." The woman said, grabbing her racket "But he left without TAKING ME! Some hero!"

Ah, kids.

The lesson then began, the little Nicelander showing many game characters a thing or two about the art of tennis. The man thanked his programmers that he was able to land such a sweet job, especially since not all the Nicelanders were able to keep up with a professional on the tennis court. Being the only programed champ in the game, it wasn't uncommon for the others to get tired after playing for only five minutes.

And Roy?

It wasn't uncommon for Roy to go around screaming in fright, as if being hit with a ball meant instant death for the man.

"Just make sure you keep your arm steady but not so stiff that you end up smackin' the ball outta bounds!" Blake said, showing an NPC how to serve.

Everything was going so wonderfully and Blake wouldn't have it any other way!

"LOOK OUT!" cried Toad "BOWSER'S ON HIS WAY!"

Several of the smaller Mario characters moved out of the way as the huge footsteps of Bowser began to shake the entire area. By now, Blake was used to bumping into Bowser but what was he doing here on the court? From what Blake had seen, Bowser was a top-notch! He didn't require such paltry lessons!

"Hello Bowser, er, what brings you here this mornin'?" asked the Nicelander, a little nervous as he gazed up at the huge creature.

The Koopa puffed out his huge chest "I just wanted ta show these lil guys how a REAL champ plays!" he chuckled, getting his racket out of the pile.

A real champ, eh?

Blake couldn't help but snicker as he adjusted his glasses, an eyebrow arching.

"Well, that's great! Who do ya want to play against? If its Mario, sorry but the guy's out to get some CD or somethin'!"

"Who said I wanted ta play against that lil plumber?" the huge Koopa said with a deep chuckle "Since you're here, I might as well try my skills out against YOU!"

Aw, SNAP.

Blake's face turned a bit blue as his glasses slid off his nose; while he was always one for telling others how good he was on the court, there was just something about a match up against BOWSER that made him a little nervous, not so much that Bowser could beat him based on SKILL but rather that Bowser could beat him simply by SWATTING HIM WITH A RACKET.

But being the gentlemen that he was, Blake couldn't turn down the king. He gulped but adjusted his glasses coolly.

"Alrighty! If you're up for it, then let's have at it!"

Everyone moved out of the way, not wanting to get caught in ANYTHING should something happen…or EXPLODE.

"Ready?" said Blake, ready to serve. Bowser laughed deeply, smoking billowing from his nostrils.

"READY, SMALL FRY!"

Blake threw the ball into the air….

SMACK!

"HA!"

A perfect serve!

Bowser dove for the ball, sending it back towards the Nicelander but it was once again caught by the tennis pro!

"WOW! NICE SAVE!" shouted a Toad.

The two continued to battle it out on the court, more and more people coming around to see the two play. People were placing bets on each character, shocked that someone so small could keep up with a beast like Bowser!

"H-heh, for such a small-fry, you've really got a fast streak on ya!" Bowser chuckled, getting a little out of breath.

"Y-You're not so bad yourself!", Blake said getting a little exhausted as well.

Soon, both were neck in neck. Not in points of course, but who was going to pass out first. Bowser had never been through such a strenuous match in his life and Blake….well, he felt the same way, especially since Bower's serves felt like they were getting heavier, not to mention HOTTER since the Koopa was now lighting the balls on fire!

"HERE IT COMES!" Bowser roared.

What happened next would go do in infamy considering how HILARIOUS it was.

Bowser made another strike but moving too much for his own good, the Koopa FELL FORWARD and landed flat on his face, getting his horns tangled in the net. The ball SAILED towards Blake….

And knocked him RIGHT out of the court, through four walls, the Nicelander finally coming to a stop in the middle of a tree!

Peach rushed over to the man's aid, praying to the heavens above that he hadn't been killed!

"COACH BLAKE! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Blake raised his head, seeing THREE princesses. A pained grin formed on his face.

"Y-yeah ladies! I'm FIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

And with that, Blake's glasses SHATTERED on his face.

* * *

Blake had to admit that even Ralph had never done a number on him like this! The man was in ENORMOUS amounts of pain but despite having gone headlong through several solid objects, his arm where the ball hit hurt the most. A rather nasty purple bruise was beginning to form on his arm.

"Aw MAN! You'd think I was hit by a pufferfish or somethin'!" the man hissed in pain, putting an ice-pack to his arm.

From the looks of things, his bruise was getting rather bad but the little Nicelander didn't worry too much. He knew a quick visit to Felix would set things right!

The only question was, where WAS the repairman?

"I'm sure I'll see him soon enough…." Blake sighed, going through his dresser drawer and pulling out another pair of glasses "Hmm, should fix my glasses as well…I'm breakin' EVERYTHING today!"

"Tombo….Tombo where are you?"

Tombo?

Blake opened his door, seeing none other than Norwood looking down on the floor. The man groaned; REALLY? Of all the things he had to deal with now, it had to be Norwood? And of all the things the freckled Nicelander could be doing, why was he crawling on the floor? And who was this TOMBO he was calling out to?

"What are you doing NOW?" the man asked in a rather blunt tone, leaning on the door.

Norwood let out a yelp as he stood up, glaring at his neighbor "HI BLAKE."

Blake nodded; he might have been ANNOYED by Norwood but he knew better than to be rude "NORWOOD."

Silence.

"So, WHO is this Tombo, you're looking for? Another one of your CATS, I should guess?" the tennis pro asked, an arrogant tone in his voice.

"No, it's a DOG." Norwood said sarcastically though Blake could see him blushing in anger "I'm switching it around, ya know…."

Haha, if only.

"Look Norwood, as much as I know you have your 'THANG' for cats, PLEASE keep the stupid things away from me, okay!? Ya know what happens when I even so much as get near cats!"

"Awwww, is the pwesious tennis boy unable ta take a widdle kitty?" Norwood said in a miffed tone.

"Considering they mess with my BREATHIN', YEAH! I GUESS I DO!"

Blake turned a bit red in the cheeks; Norwood knew good and well that he was allergic to cats and whenever the things came ambling by his apartment, the poor man would break into a full on fit of sneezing! For THIRTY years Blake put up with Norwood's little 'house guests' but as time went on and more and more people stopped by to give the ginger Nicelander their cats, Blake was reaching his limits.

Despite it, he knew it would be better to be the more MATURE of the lot and go about the situation like the adult he was….even though he was bickering like a child at the moment.

Norwood growled as he looked away, putting his fingers on the bridge of his nose "Look, Blake, I ain't got time for this! Just…." he looked down at the man's arms, his eyebrow arching "Tha heck happened ta ya?"

"Tis just a scratch!" Blake snapped back, trying to hide his developing bruise.

The two continued to bicker for a moment before Norwood finally got frustrated and left.

"Good riddance…." Blake mumbled to himself, slamming the door behind him.

*HIC!*

The man jumped a bit as he creaked his door open a bit, peering outside.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

Must have just been his imagination.

The Nicelander felt another wave of pain hit his arm, looking down at the bruise. Urgh, this was turning into something bigger than he could handle and he knew he needed Felix to fix the nasty injury.

"Aaaah, might as well find him…." The man sighed, leaving his apartment.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

What in the-?

"LUCY! TURN THAT CRAP DOWN!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

"GET STUFFED DON!"

"Well, it seems that Nory and I aren't the only ones having problems today!" Blake said, making his way to the hall. The man then went to Felix's apartment but after knocking a few times, he found that the man was gone.

It was the weekend; perhaps he was out visiting his wife or out to Sugar Rush. Either way, Blake knew he was going to have to deal with his injury until the man got back. He hissed a bit as he pressed the ice-pack a little harder on the bump.

"I can make it through this, I've been through worse!" the man said, clearly very uncomfortable.

"BUT I'M SURE THEY'RE GOING TO FIND ME!"

"ROY CALM DOWN!"

Blake made it back to his apartment, sitting down and trying not to put his mind on his bruise but by now, it was so painful that he could barely move his arm.

"Okay, that's it! Whenever I play against Bowser, I'm puttin' on heavy armor!"

"NEL!"

Norwood.

The man groaned heavily, a headache brewing "For cryin' out LOUD! Is it Norwood's job to harass me?!"

"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!"

Blake ran to his balcony, seeing none other than Norwood pounding on the woman's window, a frantic look on his face. The Nicelander would only imagine the calamity his neighbor had caused and considering it now appeared that he was annoying Nel, Blake's temper only began to increase! Blake saw Nel as his little sister and since the game had been plugged in, he more or less made it his duty to always be there when she needed him and considering that NORWOOD was pounding on her window for no given reason, it DEFINITELY looked like she needed him!

"COME ON NEL! OPEN UP!"

"NORWOOD!" Blake bellowed, making the red-headed Nicelander squeak as he looked down "THE HECK ARE YA DOIN'?!"

Norwood tried to gather his words but for the moment found that he was tongue tied "BUT-! NEL-! SHE-! MY CAT!"

ANOTHER STUPID CAT!

Okay, that was it! Bruise be darned! Blake had to get Norwood off of his friend's balcony!

"GET OFF HER BALCONY YA CAT FREAK!" the man said, reaching for his tennis balls and lobbing them at Norwood, the man crying out in pain every time he was hit.

"BLAKE! OWW! STOP IT!"

"The last thing Nel needs is some miscreant like YA lookin' at her from her window!"

"MISCREANT!? WHY DON'T YA SAY THAT TA MY FACE YA BALD-SPOTTED, TENNIS GEEK!"

"TENNIS GEEK?! MOTHER FU-!"

Just as Blake was about to say some rather COLORFUL words, he heard a large splash from above and what sounded like fighting coming from the roof.

"DON, HOW COULD YOU?!"

SPLASH!

A wave of water suddenly rained down on Norwood, soaking the poor man from head to toe, his hair dripping over his eyes. Seeing a wet Norwood was just too much for Blake and the man found himself doubling over in laughter!

"Maybe THAT should cool ya down!" Blake laughed, his sides aching but the man's laughter was cut off when he felt the hard force of a tennis ball hitting him in the face! The man groaned as he rubbed his forehead, looking up to see Norwood returning fire, the man's face now as red as his hair.

"OH YEAH?! YA THINK THAT'S FUNNY?!" Norwood screamed, tossing tennis balls left and right. Blake tried his best to dodge the things on his narrow balcony but to his dismay, Norwood managed to get in ONE good shot, a ball hitting the poor Nicelander in the face and sending his glasses falling to the ground. Blake screamed as he felt the frames leave his face, his sight warping to a horrible blur.

"MY GLASSES!"

And it was his LAST PAIR, too!

"HA! Serves ya right. JERK!" jeered Norwood, preparing to throw another ball. From his point of view, the only thing Blake could make out was a chubby orange and green BLOB but he knew he had to duck soon!

"KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Both men stopped their fighting and looked at each other; that was NEL'S scream!

"WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME, NORWOOD?!" screamed Blake, pointing up to the wet Nicelander.

"WHY IS THIS MY FAULT?!"

"ITS ALWAYS YOUR FAULT!" Blake bellowed, pointing towards the LEFT instead of at Norwood.

Without warning, Norwood ran to the edge of the balcony and slid down the ladder to Deanna's balcony, quickly making a dive for Blake.

"Norwood?! The HECK-?!"

"COME HERE YOU!" snarled Norwood as he pounced on Blake.

The two men landed on their balcony and the fight began.

"GET OFFA ME YA RED-HEADED CAT FREAK!" Blake growled as he pushed his hands into Norwood's fat cheeks.

"BLURGH! YOU FIRST YA TENNIS LOVIN' GEEK!"

Blake managed to toss Norwood into his apartment but the fight only continued, the two throwing each other around as dishes and pictures fell everywhere! At one point, Blake lost sight of the other man, not a hard thing considering without his glasses Blake was as blind as a bat!

"DON'T THINK YOU'RE GETTIN' AWAY, BUTTHOLE!" the man yelled but as he made a dive for what he THOUGHT was Norwood, he instead crashed into the WALL. He fell on his back, stunned for a moment or two as he heard Norwood's footsteps racing down the hall. Once his mind returned, Blake knew things had to get serious! Not only had Norwood broke another pair of his glasses, he had tried to bother Nel….AGAIN.

"Alright! That's the final straw!"

The little man ran to his closet, digging around as best he could with his poor vision but after feeling around, he found EXACTLY what he was looking for. An evil sneer appeared on his face as he picked the device up, thoughts of revenge on his mind.

"Aw yeah. Nory won't know what hit 'im!"

* * *

To say that Blake's trek up the stairs was a difficult one would have been an understatement. The man more or less had to take tiny steps EVERYWHERE to ensure that he didn't run into anything on his search for Norwood. He rubbed his eyes, squinting.

"Gah, I have to invest in some CONTACTS!"

"Beautiful day in tha neighborhood…." said a gloomy voice from the end of the hall, a voice Blake recognized ANYWHERE.

Norwood.

The man grinned evilly as he turned, aiming something towards the man "Hehe, you have no idea…."

Just what was this thing that Blake had on his back and why was he so sure that it would finally solve his Norwood problems? Being a tennis coach, Blake always had some sort of equipment to aid in his teachings and this item was no different for on his back was strapped one of his more PRECIOUS devices!

HIS TENNIS BALL SHOOTER!

Though he couldn't see it, Blake could tell that Norwood was frozen scared at the sight, the red and green blur sitting defenseless on the floor.

"BULL SHI-!"

And then the tennis balls started to fly!

"OW! BLAKE! I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHIN' TA DESERVE THIS!"

"Like FUN ya did!" Blake roared as he continued to pelt the poor Nicelander with tennis balls, Norwood ducking behind Nel's open door for protection! Blake began to laugh manically as he continued to shoot at Norwood, much too occupied with taking out his revenge to notice that the back of the shooter started to smoke! There was a sharp clanking sound as the man felt the device jolt in his arms and as he looked down, he noticed the light on the top of the thing turn red.

Red ring of death.

"Darn it!" the tennis pro shouted as he shook the machine "I KNEW I should have had Felix fix thi-!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Before Blake had a chance to react, Norwood LEAPT on the man, pinning him to the ground as the fight began once more!

"YA THINK PELTIN' ME WITH BALLS IS FUNNY!?"

Blake gave Norwood an evil smile "Yeah! Wanna make somethin' of it?!"

By now, the two ADULTS had been reduced to fighting like uncontrollable children, the two taking their tussle all the way to the stairs! Things only got even stranger when they tripped, both chubby Nicelanders rolling like BALLS down the stairs!

"NORWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

The red-headed Nicelander hit the wall first but he quickly sprang out of the way once he saw that Blake was coming in closer. Blake wasn't going to let him get away that easily! As soon as he landed he made another dive for the Nicelander, not even seeing that the two weren't the only people on the front lawn now.

"URRRRGH! GET OFFA ME LUCY!" screamed a familiar sailor Nicelander, flailing his arms as a small woman was perched on his shoulders and yanking his fat cheeks.

Blake ignored the cries of his friend as he was too dead-set on Norwood, running towards him as fast as he could.

"C'MERE!"

With one mighty JUMP, Blake landed on Norwood and pinned him to the ground, the two pulling at each others' hair and clothing!

"OW LET GO OF MY HAIR!" screamed Norwood!

"YOU FIRST!" retorted Blake!

"YA DON'T HAVE ANY HAIR!"

Low blow, Nory. LOW BLOW.

With a growl, Blake reached out and grabbed Norwood by the collar of his shirt, gripping him as best he could and pushing him forward RIGHT into Don, Lucy still clamped on his shoulders! The tennis Nicelander staggered to his feet, unable to even comprehend what was happening since he couldn't see but he HEARD everything!

First Norwood let out a scream and then Don followed suit, but the loudest scream of all came from Lucy, the woman shrieking at the top of her lungs as she fell somewhere with a loud SPLASH!

"LUCY!"

Blake turned around everywhere frantically, trying to figure out just who was screaming, who was running, and where the heck he was heading before he ran face first into something else!

"FOR THE LOVE OF PROGRAMMERS! WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOIN' ON?! I CAN'T SEE!"

"*HIC!*"

"And who keeps HICCUPING?!"


	8. Mary

Mary- Pretty Cure

Mary lay asleep in her bed, her blankets wrapped all around her. As the sun touched her cheeks, the woman began to slowly come to, the sight of another new morning greeting her. She smiled as she rose, stretching and hopping to her feet.

What a wonderful day this was going to be!

The woman went to bathroom to freshen up, coming out some moments later as she went to the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune.

She then looked down at her finger, admiring the engagement ring that Gene had given her.

The woman couldn't help but beam brightly; after so many years, the two were finally going to be joined as one! The very thought made Mary feel as if there were wings on her feet!

"Oh Gene, you really know how to win this woman's heart!" she giggled to herself.

After finishing breakfast, Mary went out into the hall to greet her neighbors. Looking around, she tried to see if she could find her fiancé but he was already gone. Wow, had she really missed him? That was a first.

"Deanna?" the woman said, seeing Deanna walking out of her apartment "Have you seen Gene?"

"Gene? Hmmm, I think he was up in the penthouse with Felix and Gene…" the woman said, though Mary noticed that she looked a tad tired.

"Dee-Dee? Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" the woman answered, having not heard Mary in that split second. The woman cleared her throat and shook her head "O-Oh yes, Mary! I'm fine! Just….just a little tired from something I had to do last night!"

"Ah ha…." Mary said, arching her eyebrow towards Deanna "And what would that have involved?"

Deanna looked behind herself, inching back towards her door "Oh look at the time! I must…get to that thing! Which is in my apartment!"

"O-Okay!" Mary said, a little puzzled as to what had just happened. Shrugging, Mary went back to her apartment, figuring she might as well pass the time with something before she met up with Gene.

"Well, there is a new pie recipe I wanted to try!"

Once inside her apartment, Mary went to work on a new culinary creation. Even though all the Nicelanders knew a thing or two about baking pies, everyone had to agree that Mary was the best. Baked goods were her forte and no one could whip up a pie quite like her!

The woman started her routine; first prepare the berries, then get the dough. Roll, cut, fill, and bake!

After an hour, the pie was done and it was just wonderful!

"I'm sure Gene would like this!" the woman said, looking over at the clock. She then went over to her phone to call Gene.

Ring, ring, ring.

Ring, ring, ring.

Nothing.

"Hmm, guess he's still busy…." The woman said "Oh well, I guess making another pie couldn't hurt anything!"

And Mary set off to work again, creating another pie.

But then boredom started to set in and she found herself making another pie.

And another.

And another!

Soon Mary was on the couch, starting up at the ceiling, her entire kitchen filled with freshly baked pies.

"Okay, its official. I need something else to do…" the woman said, sitting up.

"But, Gene! THIS WILL HELP YOU!"

"Hmmm?" the woman said, hearing someone from above "Meg?"

"MEG! I'm a-alright!" came the voice of Gene, sounding more flustered than usual.

Mary just had to know what was going so out the door she went, going up to Gene's floor. Once there, she saw Meg being pushed out of Gene's apartment, though the woman still tried to make her way through.

"G-GENE! JUST TRY IT! IT'LL HELP AND EVERYTHING!" the woman said, her face smushed on the door.

"MEG!"

"Er, Meg. Is something going on?" Mary asked, walking up to her neighbor. As soon as Meg turned, her hat flew off her head and landed in Gene's apartment, the man slamming the door behind him. Nonetheless, Meg was still smiling like always.

"Things are just fine dear!" the woman said in a cheery voice "but I think it would be best if you checked on your fiancé! He has a case of the-!"

*HIC!*

Both women jumped at the loud hiccuping from the other side of the door. Meg giggled as she looked at Mary.

"Well….you can see."

"Thank you dear, but I think I can handle this…" mary said, patting Meg on the shoulder.

The woman knocked on the door, a playful grin on her face.

"I TOLD YOU MEG, *HIC!* I 'M FINE!" Gene cried from the other side.

"Meg? This is the OTHER Nicelander who's name begins with M!" Mary said, Meg giggling from beside her.

The door flew open and Gene looked up in surprised, "MARY! DARLING! Oh, I am so sorry!"

"It's okay Genie…" Mary smiled as she patted the man on the head "But from what I heard, YOU weren't okay!"

"I…er….."

Gene turned, a rather guilty look on his face and then….

"*HIC!*"

Mary suddenly exploded into laughter as Gene hiccuped, unable to help herself.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaarry!" the man whined, turning even redder than before.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mary said, "I-its just you look so cute when you hiccup!"

The mayor wanted to do nothing more than hide under the couch and disappear.

CUTE?

Gene wasn't cute! He was manly as hell!

Mary turned to see that Gene was now pouting, another hiccupping popping from his mouth. She shook her head as she waggled a finger near him "See, if ya keep actin' up, its only going to make them WORSE!"

"W-well *HIC!* what do you propose *HIC!* I *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!*"

Mary was shocked that Gene's hiccups were starting to come on at a faster rate, "Goodness. Maybe you should come down with me!"

"WHAT?"

"I SAID-!" Mary stopped, suddenly realizing what she had said. With a groan, she grabbed her fiancé by the hand and pulled him from his apartment and towards the elevator "Here, I'LL help you, dear."

* * *

Once the two were in Mary's apartment, the woman took out one of her yoga mats, moving the coffee table and rolling it out.

"What is this *HIC!* for?" Gene asked curiously.

"Its for you of course!" Mary said with a smile as she went behind the man and began to remove his cardigan "Sit down…"

Doing as he was told, and hiccuping every few seconds, Gene sat on the mat.

"Now cross your legs…" Mary said softly, moving behind Gene.

"You're kiddin' right?" the man said, looking back at Mary as if she were crazy.

"Oh RIIIIIGHT!" the woman said in a cheeky voice "Your tummy DOES get in the way doesn't it?" she giggled, rubbing Gene's above-average Nicelander belly which did nothing to put him in a better mood.

"MARY! *HIC!*"

"Shh, shh…" the woman cooed in a delicate voice, her hands placed gently on Gene's shoulders "You need to be calm, close your eyes and take deep breaths."

Gene nodded as he began to do what he was told. Mary watched, just wondering what in the world the man was thinking about.

"Probably chocolate rum cake…" the woman giggled to herself.

HIC! HIC! HIC!

"*HIC!* I still have the hic*HIC!* hiccups, dear…" the man said, not opening an eye.

"Okay, then let me try this…." The woman said as she bent down behind the man and began to massage his shoulders. Mary could feel Gene melting to her touch and to her great pleasure, his hiccups seemed to slow to a point where they might have disappeared!

Fifty points to Nicelander Mary! She had cured her fiancé's hiccups!

"AI!" Gene hissed in pain.

Mary eased her grip on his shoulders and looked down "Was that a sore spot?"

"Kinda…Ya get this way when you're thrown out of a window for thirty years."

Mary began to massage harder, the man moaning every few seconds when she hits a tense area "Goodness, you're knotted up tigher than a pretzel, Gene!"

Mary scowled as she noticed Gene was only making things worse for his shoulder, smacking his hand away from his shoulder "Stop pinching your shoulder like that! It'll only make the pain worse!"

The mayor pouted, cracking his back "*HIC!* I'm *HIC!* SORRY! It's just *HIC!*"

What was going on? What was making Gene's hiccups worse?

"Here, let me get that for you!" Mary said as she suddenly grabbed Gene by his sides, the man squeaking.

"GAH! Not so *HIC!* tight!" Gene cried out, putting his hands on Mary's.

Mary huffed, not moving her hands an inch "Oh hush, before you strain something!"

"Well, it doesn't *HIC!* help when you're *HIC!* grab it like that!"

"Nicelander Gene, what have I been telling you?! If you keep going on like this, you're just going to make your hiccups WORSE!"

Gene's hiccups weren't going to get worse considering they were ALREADY worse! Mary could only watch as her fiancé sat on the floor in front of her, hiccups hitting him every few seconds and growing all the more upset with each one that hit him.

What in the world had Gene done to give himself a case THIS bad?!

After a while the man drew in a deep breath and blew it out, trying his best to calm himself down even with the hiccups. A few seconds passed and the two Nicelanders heard nothing.

Maybe this was it! Maybe Gene's hiccups had finally stopped!

Mary crawled on her knees towards the man, draping her arms around him and nuzzling his cheek "Feeling better?"

"Y-yeah, I think so…." Gene breathed out, a little tired from his terrible hiccups.

"Good! And even better, I think you're hiccups are gone!"

Music.

LOUD MUSIC.

LALALALA! SING WITH YOUR ENTIRE HEART!

"What?"

Mary could hear the music pouring through the next apartment, the lyrics only getting more insane as the song went on.

"I SAID-!"

The music only got LOUDER, the pink Nicelander unable to even hear herself THINK! She looked towards the right, the only thing on her mind being what in the WORLD Lucy was trying to accomplish by playing her music so loudly!

"What in the world-?!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

The two Nicelanders jumped a bit at the stomping from above, Mary's ceiling fan rocking a bit.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"LUCY! LUCILE! STOP THAT NOISE NOW!"

Gene put his hands to his face "DON?!"

"TURN THAT JUNK DOWN!"

BAM BAM BAM!

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP, UP THERE!"

"Nel?!"

"GET STUFFED, DON!"

And the music only got louder.

"My GOODNESS! What is going on today?!"

"*HIC!*"

Mary let out a gasp as she looked down at Gene, "Oh NO! Not AGAIN!"

"I *HIC!* think they're *HIC!* stress *HIC!* related!" the mayor hiccuped, trying to get off the floor.

"OH, NO! You're not going anywhere Mr!" Mary said, pulling back on Gene's arm "Not until you calm down! The relaxation was working SO well!"

"M-MARY! LET GO!"

"Not until I've cured you're-!"

Before Mary could say another word, Gene was sent backward and landed atop Mary with a squish! The woman gave a short cry as she found Gene laying on top of her.

"OH!"

"OOF! GOODNESS GENE!" the woman shouted, blushing deeply.

Gene gasped and blushed, his nose touching that of his fiancé but he quickly rolled off her, his entire face red "I AM *HIC!* SO *HIC!* SORRY! *HIC! HIC! HIC! HIC!*"

Mary gave Gene a sad look as she sat down next to him, her arm draped around him "Poor thing! Sounds like they're getting worse!"

"DON, STOP!"

"OH! I'M SORRY! DID YOU WANT ME TO PLAY FASTER?!"

The two Nicelanders sat in silence as the once blaring game music was now replaced by blaring VIOLIN music. Mary recognized the playing from ANYWHERE.

DON!

"RRRRRRGH! DONALD!"

DING-DONG!

"Now who is that?" Mary said, walking over to her door. As the woman opened it, she saw none other than Roy standing on the other side, looking more worried than usual.

"Oh, good afternoon Roy. What brings you here?" mary asked brightly.

"MARY! HAVE YOU SEEN MY WALLET?!" the man said, grabbing the woman by her shoulders.

"Er, WHAT?!"

"MY WALLET!"

HIC!

"Well, I don't know! Have you checked the lost and found?" Mary said, hoping to calm the panicking many down.

HIC!

Roy was tearing at his remaining hair "I CHECKED THERE ALREADY!"

HIC!

"Okay, okay! Just calm down, honey!" the woman said as she placed a hand on Roy's shoulder "There's no need to get your blood pressure any higher!"

HIC!

"So if you wallet wasn't in your room or in the lost and found, then maybe-!"

HIC!

"You should check in the atrium or-"

HIC!

"PERHAPS IF YOU-!"

HIC!

"Oh, my PROGRAMMERS! GENE!" Mary said, turning around with an annoyed look on her face, making the man jump "For crying out LOUD, HOLD YOUR BREATH OR SOMETHING!"

"I'M SORRY! *HIC!*" Gene said, holding up his hands in defense.

Mary gave Roy an unamused look, creeping back into her apartment, "I'll have to get back to you Roy…."

As soon as the little Nicelander shut the door, she made a beeline towards Gene, pulling his chubby frame closer to her own and giving him a TIGHT, inescapable hug!

"MA*HIC!*RY! WHAT ARE *HIC!* ARE YA *HIC!*-?!"

"I heard a big hug works!"

"AURGH! *HIC!* YOU'RE MAKING THEM *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!* WORSE!" *HIC!* *HIC!* *HIC!*"

By now, Gene was hiccuping every second or so, the man flopping on the ground in defeat.

"No more!"

The two then heard a splash, followed by more screaming and crashing.

Just what in the world was happening today?!

"THAT'S *HIC!* IT!" Gene said, getting to his feet and grabbing his cardigan "I don't know what those guys are up to, but I'm putting a stop to it!"

"Gene, wait!" Mary said, trying to stop her fiancé but by the time she was off the floor, the man was out the door before she could stop him.

HIC!

"Well, BISCUITS!" the woman said, her hands on her hips.

"AURGH! MY GLASSES!"

"Blake?!"

Mary heard the sound of people running down the hall, followed by the stairs door beinfg flung open.

"This place…" the woman sighed, walking out of her apartment. She hadn't gone two steps when she ran into Snowanna and Adorbezzle, the two children coming from the elevator.

"Oh! Well, what a surprise!"

"Hello, Ms. Mary!" Snowanna said cheerfully, the other racing smiling shyly next to her.

"Hello dears, what brings you here?"

"We wanted to see if Ms. Lucy was here! We wanted to give her something for helping us get our CDs!"

"You do?" asked Mary "Well, the last time I saw Lucile, she was in her apartment and-!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAH! DON!"

The three then went over to the window, looking out just in time to see Don flailing on the lawn with Lucy on his back, pulling on his face.

"SOMEONE GET HER OFFA ME! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"LUCILE! GET OFF OF DON!"

Mary glanced at the two racers, sighing, "Found her…."

"MS. LUCY! LOOK OUT FOR THE POND!" Adorabezzle called.

SPLASH!

"Come on you two….." Mary said as she lead the racers back down stairs, shaking her head the entire way "I'm sure Lucy will be more than pleased to see you!"

"By the way…" Snowanna said, holding Meg's hat in her hand "Is this yours?"


	9. Meg

Meg- Tea Cup

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

"GENE! SHUT THAT ALARM OFF!"

"I guess its time to wake up!" Meg said with a smile, bounding out of bed and running to the bathroom to freshening up. Meg was always in high spirits and she couldn't wait to chat it up with her neighbors. The woman set off for the kitchen, fixing herself a cup of her favorite drink in the world; tea.

Meg loved tea, not surprising for the lady who was programmed as a tea brewer.

She was always experimenting with her leaves, trying to come up with the best tasting, most invigorating brew but much to the annoyance of her neighbors, she was also more than willing to try her experiments out on them. While it was true that the others knew that Meg could come up with some flavorful combinations….sometimes, there were results that were not as tasty.

But on this day, Meg knew she was going to be busy. She was expecting a customer to call soon and she had a new order of leaves to mix together!

This was the perfect day for tea!

Taking a moment to greet her neighbors, Meg spotted Don out of the crowd, the man looking around a bit as the others seemed to take off from him.

"DONNIE!" the woman said brightly, happy to see the man standing in the hall. Of course, the woman was much too overjoyed to notice the slight look of fear in the man's face.

"O-Oh MEGAN!" the man stammered, slowly backing away "H-How are you this morning?"

The woman tiptoed over towards Don, her big eyes fluttering towards him "Just FIIIIINE, sweetie!" she giggled "Would you mind joining me for teaaaaa?"

Don gulped; he knew the moment he set foot in the woman's apartment he was trapped.

"Er, I-I'm sorry but I h-have things to take care of!"

Meg jumped forward and took Don by his arm, pulling him as hard as she could "But DOOOONNIE! Its tea! How could you say no to something like that?"

"Why not go ask Dee-Dee?!"

"I think she's asleep and I don't want to disturb her!" Meg said as she looked up at Don, her huge eyes working into him.

"WHAT ABOUT NEL!?"

"Prunella went off somewhere!" Meg grinned, tugging at Don even harder, the man hanging on for dear life on the doorframe of Meg's apartment "Come on dear, don't be STUBBORN! You're going to LOVE this brew!"

"I'm sure I would!" Don whimpered, his nails boring into the wood "But can I just-?!"

Meg looked down, realizing that there was a surefire way of getting Don into her apartment.

And all she had to do was give him a little tickle!

She reached down, grabbing Don on his chubby waist and gave him a good pinch, the man letting out a high pitched yelp as he finally let go of the door and crashed into Meg, the woman not minding a bit as she sat up, Don rubbing his head.

"HAH! I knew I would get ya!"

And with that, Meg slammed the door, Don trapped in her apartment.

"Tombo? Where is that cat?"

* * *

Meg hummed a sweet tune as she brewed a fresh pot of tea, the aroma filling the entire apartment. It was a scent that the woman loved but what she loved more was sharing her tea with friends.

Or better yet, a person she loved!

"Ooooh, he's going to LOVE this!" the woman giggled to herself as she brought out a plate of tea cookies to accompany the tea. Her hips swaying gracefully, Meg set a cup in front of the blushing sailor, completely oblivious to how DESPERATE the man wanted to escape at this point.

"I know you like strawberries….so I think rose hips and strawberries would be a perfect brew for you!"

"R-Really?" Don stuttered.

"Mmm-hmmm! It's perfect for calming the nerves!" the woman then laughed a bit as she poked Don on his nose, making him blush even more "Which you need a good dose of considering how NERVOUS you look right now!"

The sailor forced a painful grin as he took the cup, his hand shaking, and drank a bit of the liquid. For a moment, he seemed to calm down most likely due to the fact that Meg's tea WAS delicious!

She might have been a little nutty, but she could make a good pot of tea!

"Why, this is rather good Meg!"

"Ah-HA! I knew it! Another success!" the woman cheered but her eyes then turned back towards Don, the man jolting a bit "Maybe I should have you test out ALL my tears, SAILOR!"

The man gulped, looking more and more like a corned animal "Er. Well….that's a nice offer DEAR, but maybe a trained pallet would be more appropriate! Why not ask Big Gene! I mean, he knows so much about food so-!"

"Oh no!" Meg said, shaking her head "The mayor might have a bottomless stomach, but he just doesn't have….how can I put it? The SENSES that I need when it comes to tea!"

"And what makes you think I QUALIFY?"

Don was no dummy; he knew that Meg wasn't even talking about tea at this point but something else entirely….something that made him scream internally. Before the man could say anything however, Meg made a grab for his chubby cheeks, squishing them tightly.

"You have ruggedness? Charm? Very cute dimples?"

Why couldn't there be a hole Don could find and die?

"Wait, what does ANY of that have to do with tea?!"

"EVERYTHING!" Meg laughed as she let go of the man's face "GENTLE tea compliments a ROUGH man, don't you think."

"UH."

Meg began to pour another cup of tea in Don's cup, pushing it closer "Come on Donald. Take another sip! I know you'll LOVE it!"

"MEGAN! As much as I would LOOOOOVE to help you with you tea, I just don't think I'm the right man for the job!" Don said, jumping up from his seat and backing away.

"But Doooonie, we could do so MUCH together!" the woman smiled brightly.

"I'M SURE YOU WANT TO!"

The woman skittered over to Don, looking up at his blue eyes and trying her best to seem sad "Just hear me out, pweeeeeze?"

"M-Meg, I-!"

RING RING RING!

Meg then went over to the phone, picking it up "Hello, Nicelander Meg!"

Chatter chatter chatter.

"Oh! YES, your order is ready!"

Chatter, chatter.

"Mmm-hmm, I'll be there to deliver it!"

Meg then turned, seeing Don tip-toeing towards the door, unaware that he was making an ESCAPE!

"Don sweetie, there's a package for you! The postman got our mail mixed up again!"

* * *

Meg made her way to GCS, hoping off the trolley and trotting happily over to the game she had been called to.

The HOUSE of the DEAD!

"Such a lovely game!" the woman said, paying no mind to the endless gun fire and screaming.

Or the fact that another Nicelander had DUCKED to hide when she saw her coming, the Nicelander in burgundy trying her best to escape from the scene.

"That was close!"

Meg made her way through the game, the zombies sitting around and drinking coffee "Hello dears!"

"MAAAAAAuuuuuuurgh!" they said in response, waving as carefully as they could as not to lose any more limbs.

"Ah, Dr. Curien!" Meg waved, seeing the taller man near one of the houses.

"Ms. Meg! How is my favorite tea brewer in the arcade!" the man said, bending down on his knee as he scooped the woman up into a hug.

"As fine as ever!" the woman said, "Annnnd, just as you ordered! Soothing honey and peppermint!"

"Aw, SWEET!" Jill said, taking a sniff of the box, the aroma dreamy "I think this should help with the throat when I have to yell at the players!"

"Just don't take it all!" Dr. Curien chuckled "If you want some, you have to order from this lady!"

Meg twittered, blushing a bit "Oh, Doc! You're just a flatterer!"

Once her delivery had been done, Meg made her way back to Fix-it-Felix Jr, having not a care in the world other than where Don had ran off too.

"I wonder what he got in the mail…." The woman thought, reaching for her keys.

*HIC!*

The woman yelped as she then turned, seeing Gene going into his apartment.

"Goodness! I'm sure they heard that all the way on the other side of the arcade!" the woman said.

The lilac Nicelander had to giggle; the mayor always made a fuss whenever he had the hiccups and she never really understood why? Maybe he just couldn't take the constant jumping or the sound.

"The poor dear. Perhaps he needs something to calm him down!"

An idea!

"Wait, I know exactly what this situation calls for!" Meg sang, running to her apartment. A moment later, she came back out with another box of her famous tea, making her way over to Gene's apartment.

Ding-dong!

"*HIC!* DARN IT!"

Meg smiled; she couldn't help it if this was so funny!

"Ahem, who is it?"

"Gene, it's me!" the woman said sweetly.

The door began to open, Gene peeking through "Meg? What bring you *HIC!*"

"Ah-HA! I knew you had the hiccups!" the woman said brightly, not even noticing that Gene was more mortified than ever.

"MEG! *HIC!* PLEASE!" the mayor cried as he tried to shut the door, but Meg propped her foot inside, keeping it open.

"I have just the brew for this!" she said brightly, forcing her arm through the crack "Rosehip and strawberries! It calms the nerves!"

"I'M *HIC!* sure it *HIC!* does!" Gene said, trying to push Meg out of his apartment "BUT *HIC!* IF YOU *HIC!* DON'T *HIC! HIC! HIC*!"

Gene's hiccups were only getting worse the more he tried to push Meg out, the woman trying her best to give Gene the box of tea.

"BUTH ITH WORTHS!" Meg said through squished cheeks, dropping the box just as her hat flew off and landed in Gene's apartment.

SLAM!

The door shut in Meg's face but the woman wasn't giving up so easily!

"Oh, playing it hard, huh Gene?" she snickered, dusting off her skirt.

"Meg, darling, what in the world is going on?" asked Mary, the woman walking up to Meg.

"I believe you should see for yourself…." The other Nicelander smiled, letting Mary near the door.

"*HIC!*"

* * *

Once Mary had taken care of Gene, Meg made her way back to the apartment.

"Now, let's see if I can get this brew together…" the woman said, working on another batch of tea. She went to the cupboard and pulled out a tin containing orange blossoms and another containing freshly ground ginger. After measuring the ingredients she stopped, going into deep thought about her next creation.

"Alright, if I add the right amount of ginger, I WOULD get a nice spice!"

Again she paused, trying to collect her thoughts.

"But I do that, it might overpower the sweet zest of the orange. I need a balance…I need a balance!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

At that moment, a box of lilac petals fell from the cupboard and into the woman's hand, almost as if it were some sort of divine sign!

"Oh! YES! That's it!" she twittered, taking out another spoon and scooping the lilacs into the bowl.

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

This time, a box of sugar fell from the shelf, the woman looking a might shocked this time around.

"Oh….oh my. I-I don't think sugar would help in the sweetne-!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

The woman yelped as she ducked, looking up at the ceiling as more items fell from their shelves and onto the floor "What in the world-?!"

"LUCY?! LUCILE?! TURN THAT DDR CRAP DOWN!"

Don? So he WAS home!

"TURN THAT CRAP DOWN!"

Meg couldn't help but giggle once she heard Don's voice, his accent slipping a bit.

"It's so cute that he thinks no one knows about his real voice!" the woman said, getting back to her work but she hadn't got too far when she heard ANOTHER voice from outside her door.

"GOTTA FIND IT, GOTTA FIND IT!"

Meg sighed heavily; there was ALWAYS an interruption somewhere!

"What is going on NOW?" the Nicelander said as she opened her door, seeing Roy grab Nel and sharking her by the shoulders.

"NEL! HAVE YOU SEEN MY WALLET?!" screamed Roy.

"R-R-R-ROY! I'm sure everything is going to be okay!"

"WHERE COULD IT BE?!"

"ROY!"

Meg stepped out of her apartment to see Roy looking as if he were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Nel trying her best to calm the man down. Meg shrugged as she looked on; surly Nel would take care of things.

CRASH!

"OH NO!"

"N-Nel, are you okay?!"

Meg peeked from her door once more, seeing Nel running back to her apartment at top speed, poor Roy by himself once more. The woman sighed as she took pity on the man.

"Well, I can't just LEAVE him like this. At this rate, he might EXPLODE!"

Meg knew what this situation called for.

TEA!

A few moment later, Meg made her way into Roy's apartment, putting another pot of tea on the burner for the man.

"Really, Roy! You need to calm down!" the woman laughed to herself "I'm surprised you haven't gone COMPLETELY bald from all the worrying you do."

Roy could do nothing more than just sit, his entire body twitching as he looked straight ahead "They're gonna come and get me! They're gonna come and get me!"

Meg shook her head as she handed the man a cup of her famous strawberry and rose hip tea "Alright, I'll bite. WHO'S going to get you?

"THE GUYS FROM STREET FIGHTER!" Roy screamed, shooting up in his chair "THEY HAVE MY WALLET! I JUST KNOW IT!"

"Relax, dear! RELAX!" Meg said, petting Roy's hand "Sit your behind down and drink your tea."

Roy tried to relax. Boy, DID he! Oh no, the man was much too wired at this point to even think about relaxing, no matter how good his tea was.

"Relax?! How can I relax?! They're comin' this way this very minuet and soon-!"

The man let out a loud gasp, sipping the contents of his cup all over the floor.

"ROY!"

"OH PROGRAMMERS! I'VE LEAD THEM HERE AND THEY'RE GONNA GET US ALL!"

"Er, I don't think Ryu or Ken or ANY of those guys have any beef with us so-!"

"This is a disaster! THIS IS A COMPLETE DISASTER!"

By now Meg had had enough of her neighbor's antics. She stood up and gave the man a good PINCH on the nose, Roy yelping out as he felt the pinch.

"Honestly Roy! Its not as bad as you think!" Meg said in a peeved voice.

"Oh no, its not…." The man said, his voice surprisingly calm. Meg knew THAT wouldn't last long "ITS MUCH WORSE!"

Meg slammed her face in the palm of her hand, "Sweetie…."

Roy then jumped from his couch and ran to his room, throwing together a suit case as he grabbed his hat and ran towards the door.

"I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE THEY FIND ME!"

"GAH! ROY!" Meg screamed, trying to catch the man before he darted off but he was gone before she could even leave the couch. She shook her head as she went to the kitchen to clean up "It's ALWAYS something with that one!"

"GAAAAAAAAAGH! BLAKE! STOP IT!"

Now what was THAT about?!

Wiping her hands clean, Meg ran from the door only to see Norwood and Blake wrestling with each other in the hall, the two men rolling all the way from the hall right to the stairs! It seemed like every other second SOMETHING was happening!

"OH MY GOODNESS!"

The woman reached a hand out towards the two but they soon disappeared down the stairs, rolling like the chubby galumps they were. Meg could only watch, not sure what to do for THIS type of situation.

"Oh….OOOOH my!" she whispered, looking around for anyone in the hall way "Um…Norwood and Blake rolled down the stairs? What do I do? Anyone? ANYONE?!"

Silence.

An odd feeling came over Meg once she realized it seemed like she was the only person in the building; just where WAS everybody?

"Well, isn't that a blip!" said a miffed voice from down the hall. Meg's eyes lit up as she looked, seeing Denna make her way towards her.

"Wait, DEE-DEE!"

Deanna stopped in her tracks, looking like a deer in headlights but not a second later, she turned, walking AWAY from Meg.

"Hey! HEY! Wait, Dee-Dee come back!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF PROGRAMMERS! GET HER OFFA ME! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"YOU KNOW YOU DESERVE THIS DON!"

Meg ran towards the window, gasping in shock to see Lucy pulling on Don's face, the small Nicelander latched onto his back.

"YOUNG LADY! YOU GET OFF DONALD THIS MINUET!" Meg screamed, her face turning red in anger.

"GAAAH! SHE'S GONNA RIP ME APART"

The woman bolted for the door, running down the stairs only to see a passed out Don and Nel talking with someone.

Someone BIG.

Meg let out a gasp as she looked up at the stranger but her face softened, a smile on her face.

"I should have known Roy had nothing to worry about!"

"WHO KEEPS HICCUPING?!"


	10. Deanna

Deanna –What Happens to Dee-Dee, Stays with Dee-Dee

Hours before the sun rose, a figure crept its way back into Niceland. Its eyes darted around, making sure that it hadn't been followed and that no one had noticed them as they made their way into the elevator.

"Darn it, I didn't think I as going to be back THIS late…." The voice said, looking down at her watch.

As the elevator reached the floor the figure stepped out, revealing none other than Nicelander Deanna, the woman out of her usual Nicelander attire and in something much more suited for fighting.

Nicelanders? FIGHTING?

That would be the day!

The woman looked around, unlocking her door and making her way into her apartment, throwing off her clothes and slipping into her pajamas. Thank goodness it was the weekend and she would get a chance to sleep. Without saying so much as another word, Deanna flopped into her bed, turning off the light and going to sleep.

~Several hours later~

"Good morning!" said Gene, walking down the halls as he greeted his neighbors, the others chatting amongst themselves.

The exhausted Deanna put a pillow over her head, trying to drown out the sound of her neighbors but by now, it was impossible. She was already up and she knew there was no way she could go back to sleep now.

"Urgh…." The woman groaned, reaching for her glasses "Might as well wash up!"

The woman lumbered to the bathroom, taking a shower and cleaning up. As she made her way to the kitchen, she looked into her tea jar.

Empty.

"Oh GREAT!" the woman groaned. She knew the only place she could get the tea she wanted was Meg but she also knew as soon as Meg got her into her clutches, there was no return.

What to do? Tea or no tea? Tea or no tea?

TEA.

SHE NEEDED TEA.

There was no use in hiding it now and with a little huff, Deanna made her way to Meg's apartment but she hadn't gone three feet when she heard the woman giggling.

"Why DOOOON! Come here and help me with my newest brew!"

The burgundy Nicelander ducked behind a corner, watching the drama unfold.

Yup, just as she thought! Meg had Don in her clutches and was trying to drag him into her apartment.

"Oof, I feel kinda sorry for the big guy…." Deanna whispered to herself, watching as the sailor clutched onto the door frame with all his strength.

"W-WAIT! I-!"

"PINCH!"

A yelp, a door slamming, Don was gone!

"Welp, looks like Don's trapped." Deanna yawned "I-its too bad…I needed some tea…."

Deanna made her way back to her apartment but as she was just about to turn the key….

"Hello, Dee-Dee! How are you this morning?"

The little Nicelander jumped a bit as she turned and saw Nel approaching her. On any other day, Deanna would have loved to discuss things with her neighbor but now? Now she was much too tired. Nonetheless, she knew it was best to keep up appearances and not be rude.

"Hmm? I'm fine dear!" the woman said with a smile "What's with all the material?"

"My order came in! I can't wait to make a new dress out of this stuff!"

Deanna nodded, turning the knob to her apartment "Well, be sure to tell me when you're done, alright?"

"Wait, I might have some extra material! We could look at some designs together and-!"

"Th-that sounds wonderful dear, but…but I have something to take care of!" the other Nicelander said as she slipped into her apartment, leaving Nel alone in the hall.

"Whew! That was close!"

"Careful with that stuff Ralph! Who knows what could happen if you drop it!"

"Ah, Felix!" Deanna said, "I've been meaning to talk to him!"

The Nicelander opened her door once more but found that she was too late, Felix and Ralph joining Gene in the penthouse a few yards away. Deanna huffed, putting her hands on his hips.

"Wow! I'm a lot slower than I thought!" she said to herself, regretting that she got so little sleep.

"Dee-Dee, are you alright?"

Oh, no. Who was this now?

Deanna turned to see Mary walking up to her, the pink Nicelander looking a tad concerned "I said, are you alright dear?"

"Hmmm? Me? Ooooh, I'm just FIIIINE!" Deanna chortled, trying her best to save face in front of her friend "I'm just a little tired from something I had to do last night!"

Mary raised an eyebrow "Oh? And what would that have involved?"

Deanna knew she had said too much at this point and Mary was starting to get a tad suspicious. She blushed, backing into her apartment "Ah ha….um. OH, look at the time! I must….get to that THING. Which is in my apartment!"

And with that, Deanna slammed the door, nearly avoiding a catastrophe thanks to her own big mouth.

"Aaaah, I gotta watch what I say….who knows what the others are thinking now!"

"Go look for your precious cats or whatever…AW FORGET IT!"

SLAM!

Deanna shook as she felt the jolt of a door slamming next to her. It HAD to be Blake, who else could it be?

She poked her head outside, seeing nothing.

"Okay, maybe I AM goin' a bit nuts for not sle-!"

HIC!

"Gah! What was-?!"

The woman shook her head and returned to her apartment, flopping on the couch in exhaustion.

"M-Maybe if I took a nap, I would feel a lot better…" she yawned, already feeling the pull of sleep coming over her.

"My wallet! My wallet! MY WALLET!" screamed Roy from his apartment.

The woman groaned, her rest interrupted as she heard even more cries from the hall.

"What in the world is going on NOW?" the woman mumbled, sitting up and placing her hands on her hips as she cracked opened the door to her apartment once again. Deanna managed to catch a glimpse of Roy running around his apartment frantically, pulling up everything in order to find his missing piece of property.

"OHNOOHONOHNOOHNO!"

Deanna let out a snort; Roy was always getting his head worried about something. No wonder he was balding!

Wait, his wallet?

Deanna thought back for a moment, retracing her steps of the night before.

"Okay, I know I hung out with the guys until ten…and after that I left so…."

She though back as hard as she could, remembering that Roy had purchased something from one of the markets. She also remembered that he still had his wallet with him during that time.

And as she left….

Wait….

Did that really happen?

"Oh my gosh!" the woman gasped "Maybe that WAS Roy's wallet in front of Street Fighter!"

Deanna put on her shoes and bolted from her apartment, taking off as fast as she could towards the trolley.

"Really Roy? Must we look after you like a CHILD?!"

* * *

"So are you up for burgers for lunch?" asked Ken.

"Seriously, Ken? You keep eatin' burgers like that, you're going to end up as big as Honda…" replied Chun-Li, not taking her eyes off of her newspaper.

"Or maybe his thighs will grow to be as big as YOURS…" Honda shot back, a smug grin on his face.

"Really, big guy?" the woman said, pinching the sumo's nose playfully "You guys are nothing more than overgrown kids!"

"Er, were we expecting visitors?" said Cammy, looking out the window as the trolley pulled up into the game, a small figure inside.

"I don't think so…who is it?"

"It's that Nicelander lady. What's her name? Dedra? Dana? Dianna?"

"Deanna?" said Bison, getting out of his seat and heading to the entrance of the game.

As Deanna made her way up the stairs, she was greeted by none other than Bison himself, the huge man over-towering the woman by several feet!

"Surprised, that I'm back so soon?" the woman said in a smug voice, her arms crossed over her chest.

Bison scowled down at the woman but he then threw his head back and laughed, "I didn't know ya missed me THAT much, Dee-Dee!" the man said, bending down and scooping the woman into a hug.

"Don't flatter yourself, big man!" the woman chuckled "I came here because a friend of mine might have lost something near your game!"

"Oh, and what would that be?" Bison asked, putting the Nicelander down.

"A wallet! It's olive green with a little gold seal on with with an R. It belongs to my neighbor Roy."

Bison rubbed his chin before turning back to the others, "Hmmm, have you guys found any wallets around here?"

"Aside from the one GUILE keeps droppin'? No!" Ryu laughed, nudging the now annoyed fighter in the side.

"Well, if anything turns up, we'll let ya know!" Bison said.

"Thanks anyway…" Deanna sighed "Maybe it's around some of the other games. I just want to find this thing fast before Roy drives us all crazy with his panicking."

After saying her goodbyes, Deanna made her way back to Niceland but as she walked across the station, she saw none other than Meg walking out of House of the Dead.

"DARN IT!" the woman said, ducking as fast as she could "If Meg finds out I've been comin' here, I won't hear the end of it!"

Luckily, Deanna missed the other Nicelander by seconds but she knew that it would best if she waited a while after her neighbor returned before taking the trolley back home.

But where to go in the meantime?

"Aw, I'm sure Bison won't find it strange that I come back!" Deanna said with a smile but when Deanna returned to the game, she found that the man was gone!

"What do you mean he's on his way to Niceland?!"

"He found that wallet you were talking about!" smiled Chun-Li "Since you already left, he decided to deliver it himself!"

Oh NO! With Bison coming into the game, Deanna was sure Roy would panic! While the little man was used to being around the likes of Ralph, some of the other LARGER characters were another story. It wasn't too long ago when Roy passed out after being introduced to the Giant Sun characters from Sunshine and Rainbows and HE was a FRIENDLY character!

Deanna rubbed her temples; she had to go back now!

It didn't take long for Deanna to return home but when she got there, Bison was nowhere to be found.

"NOW COME ON!" the woman said "How can I lose sight of something that BIG and RED!"

The woman walked all over the entire game, from the main apartment building all the way to the end of East Niceland but Bison was nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, Deanna was still a little tired and she still wanted tea!

Oh well.

Deanna slipped back into her apartment, trying to figure out what to do to pass the time before Bison or Roy returned and with the way things were going to collide, she knew they would up EVENTUALLY.

"Might as well start practicing…" she sighed.

The woman then went to her room and got into her work-out clothing, a DVD in her hand.

KICK BAD HEALTH BUTT; THE STREET FIGHTER WAY!

The woman put the disc into the machine, the TV flashing before an image of Cammy appeared on the screen.

"ARE YOU READY TO GET PUMPED?" the fighter said, posing powerfully "THEN GET READY TO FIGHT! STREET FIGHTER STYLE!"

Deanna posed, bending her short little legs as she mirrored the moves on the screen.

"UP KICK! DOWN KICK! A A A! DOWN KICK DOWN KICK! AND NOW SPECIAL MOVE!" Cammy said, kicking her legs into the air.

If only the others knew.

Deanna, the Nicelander who was programmed as a secretary, was taking classes from STREET FIGHTER! While the others knew that Mary would often go to the game to take yoga classes with Dhalsim, Deanna was much too embarrassed to admit that she was doing such high-strung exercise with the fighters.

Why?

Something about Candybug coming back inspired her.

The reason the woman was so sleepy from the previous night was because she had attended a late-night sparing session with some of the other characters in the arcade, testing her skills out on anyone who was hapless enough to face her.

For a Nicelander, Deanna was making great progress.

The woman continued to move, her legs kicking in the air.

"Urgh, what I wouldn't give for longer limbs!" she growled, her tiny nubs of legs held in the air.

The woman then heard a crashing noise on her balcony, gasping in shock as she ran over.

"BLAKE, YOU SON OF A-!"

Norwood.

"HEY! WATCH IT NORY!" Deanna yelled at the man, the red-head almost knocking over her plants. As Deanna looked on, she watched as Norwood and Blake started fighting with each other, both men rolling into Blake's apartment as the fight continued.

"URGH! LET GO CAT FREAK!"

The woman rolled her eyes and went back into her apartment; those boys.

Tired from her work out, Deanna flopped on the couch, wiping her brow.

"Maybe I SHOULD get that tea from Meg…." The woman thought, remembering that her supply was still out.

"OH GOD! THEY'RE GONNA GET ME!" Deanna heard Roy scream, the man running out the hallway.

"Oh, he's back!" the woman panted, a smile on her face. She then moved to her room, quickly throwing off her work-out clothing and freshening up a bit as she walked out the door but as she turned the hall, Roy was nowhere to be seen.

"Gene, come back!" Mary cried, trying to pull Gene back into her apartment.

Deanna peaked from the corner, seeing Gene trying to fix his hair and put on his cardigan, his face as red as a beet "Sorry dear, but I must go!"

The look on Deanna's face was something to behold; she knew that Gene and Mary were engaged but WHAT HAD SHE JUST WALKED IN ON?!

"*HIC!* WHAT IS EVERYONE *HIC! HIC! HIC!* DOIN'?!"

"Wow! It's like someone amped up the drama here!" the woman said as she made her way down the hall, hoping to find Roy along the way. To her displeasure, the little grey Nicelander wasn't in the halls….

But Meg was.

Deanna froze, the look on her face not unlike that of a deer caught in the headlights of a massive truck. Meg grinned from ear to ear as she began to make her way towards her neighbor, her mind already set on what she wanted to blabber on about.

"Oh, Deanna! There you are!"

NOPE!

NOT DEALING WITH IT!

Deanna turned on her heels and walked the other way, much too embarrassed to even think of what to say if Meg started yammering away.

"Dee-Dee? Wait! I just wanted to talk to you and-!"

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

As Deanna ran around the corner she stopped, wondering just where in the world that horrible screaming sound had come from. She looked up as she heard several yells and crashes echoing throughout the building.

And the surprising thing? Ralph was no where to be found!

"Goodness, at this rate, WE'LL wreck the building!" the woman said, adjusting her glasses.

All in all, this felt like another good night to escape to Street Fighter again. At least there wouldn't be as much DRAMA!

As the woman made her way downstairs, she heard another scream followed by the sound of a body landing on the floor! The woman rushed out the door, HORRIFIED to see Meg and Nel talking with someone.

Someone she knew!

And Roy was right there, out like a light, face first on the ground.

"Oh Dee-Dee!" Meg smiled "You have a visitor!"

Deanna looked up, not at all surprised at who she was looking at.

"Do you know how LONG I've been looking for BOTH of you?!"


	11. Roy

Roy- You Can't Spell WORRY without Roy….Kinda.

Roy slept none too comfortably in his bed, the man clutching his blankets tightly against his body. Everything about the man was a bother in his mind and even in sleep, he was worrying!

The faint warmth of the rising sun brought the man back from dreamland, the man squinted as he flopped over.

"Not yeeeeeeeeeet…" he mumbled.

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

"GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENE!"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!"

Roy let out a yelp as he woke with a start, falling out of his bed and on the floor onto his bottom. Why did Gene have to have the LOUDEST alarm clock in the entire apartment?

WHY!?

Roy sighed heavily as he untwisted himself from the covers, getting up and going to the bathroom.

Daily routine; shower, brush remaining hair, breakfast.

The same as usual and Roy liked it that way.

The man then out to greet the other Nicelander, waving to his neighbors before he turned back in, going to his easy chair and getting out a book. He got lucky this time; he had almost gotten locked into an hour long conversation with Don!

Relaxation.

That's all Roy wanted. That's all Roy EVER wanted.

Then it hit him.

"MY WALLET!"

Roy sprung to his feet as he looked around his apartment, realizing to his horror that his wallet was indeed missing!

"No! NO! NO NO NO NO!" the man cried "BUT I HAD IT ON ME! HOW COULD I HAVE LOST IT?!"

The man then skittered to his door, looking out in the hallway as some of his neighbors walked by. He tried to get their attention but being as shy as he was, he couldn't gather up the courage and so away they went, not even noticing the man or how panicked he looked.

"Er, see you later Gene…" Norwood said, taking off with an embarrassed look on his face. Gene stormed off the other way. From the sour look on his face, Roy was a little glad that he hadn't caught the mayor's attention.

HIC!

Roy ran from his apartment and began to search every inch of the place but still, he found nothing!

Well, he did find his harmonica, his missing book of stamps, and a rather fancy looking pen.

But his wallet?

Nope, nowhere to be found!

Maybe it was outside! Yeah, it HAD to be!

Roy took off the lawn faster than a speeding hedgehog, looking over every inch of the surrounding area. He checked near his peonies, he checked near the grill, he even checked near Ralph's brick pile!

Again, nowhere to be seen!

"M-Maybe it's near the pool?"

Another trek sent Roy to the roof but again, the only thing he found were items that WEREN'T his wallet. He let out a frustrated groan, his mind racing to where he could have left the thing.

"Where is it, where is it, where is it?!" the man cried, rushing back up to his apartment and slamming the door behind him. He paced back and forth, trying with all his might to piece together EVERYTHING he did the night before.

"O-okay, Roy…" the man said, rubbing the bridge of his nose "There is no need to panic like this! Take steps back. Baby steps back…."

He remembered….

His wallet was on him when he left for dinner.

It was on him when he went to the mart.

But he didn't check when he got in!

The man let out a frustrated cry as he fell to his knees, being over dramatic as usual.

"GAAAAAAAH! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONCE I BROKE MY FLOW!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP!

Roy let out a shocked cry as he huddled on the ground, hearing the sound of Don's stomping from the next story.

"LUCY!"

"DON!"

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON UP THERE?!"

The poor man crawled back over to his easy chair, getting back to his feet and shaking.

"Just what the heck is going on, INDEED!"

Despite everything that was going on around him, Roy knew that he had ONE thing to do and that was find his wallet! He continued to rack his brain for any sort of memory of where he might have dropped it. He should have known better than to not check as soon as he left the mart! Had he done that, none of this would have happened!

Wait.

The others! They might be able to help him!

Roy ran out of his apartment, going to Gene's place first.

He pounded on the door.

"GENE?! GENE, PLEASE OPEN UP!"

Nothing!

The man then ran to each of his neighbor's doors but to his dismay, they all seemed to be gone.

"WHERE IS EVERYONE?!"

The man then went down to the next floor, starting the process all over again and to his luck, Mary opened her door.

"Oh, good afternoon Roy!"

"MARY! HAVE YOU SEEN MY WALLET?!" the man cried, grabbing onto Mary's arms.

"Er, WHAT?!"

"MY WALLET!" the man screamed "I LOST IT SOMEWHERE AND-!"

"W-well, have you checked the lost and found?"

"Yes, YES! I've been there already!"

"Okay, okay! Just calm down honey! There's no need to get your blood pressure any higher!"

Roy shook his head nervously as he looked into Mary's eyes, calming down a tad.

"So it wasn't in your room OR the lost and found? Maybe if you check the atrium, you-!"

As Roy continued to talk to Mary, the faint sound of rapid hiccups began to mix in their conversation. The two continued to talk, but Roy began to notice that Mary's mood was changing, going from bad to worse. The man could have sworn that whoever was in the apartment with the woman had hiccuped for the one hundredth time in a row when-

"GENE! HOLD YOUR BREATH OR SOMETHING!"

"I'M *HIC!* SORRY!" the mayor called, a helpless look on his face.

Mary glared at Roy, backing into her apartment.

"Sorry, but I have something to take care of…."

The woman shut the door, a faint rustling sound coming from within the apartment.

Roy let out a heavy groan as he made his way back to his own apartment, his head hanging low.

"Of course something like this would happen to me…" the man mumbled.

No, things could end like this! He just couldn't give up!

Bucking up, Roy decided to see if any of his neighbors were home.

First stop; Nel's!

The man knocked on the door once more.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who is it?"

"Nel?! Prunella, are you in there?!"

To his great delight, he heard the knob turning and standing right in front of him was none other than Nel!

"TELL ME YOU'VE SEEN MY WALLET!" the man cried, grabbing onto the woman and nearly lifting her off the ground.

"ER! Not EXACTLY?"

"Gah! Where is that thing?!" the man shouted, putting his hands to his face "Who knows who has it now! And if they have my wallet, the have all my money and they have all my info and if they have all my info, then they know where I live and-!"

"CALM DOWN, DEAR" Nel said, putting a hand to the man's mouth "Just….just lemme help you, okay?"

Roy didn't waste a second, simply pulling Nel from her apartment and pulling her towards his "COME ON!"

"GAH!"

As Roy ran down the hall, Gene suddenly appeared, the man looking a might shaken as he stormed down the hall.

"Gene, I-!"

"NO, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOUR WALLET *HIC!* ROY!"

"BUT-!"

"Well, guess we got that out of the way…" Nel said.

CRASH!

"Oh, NO!" screamed Nel as she turned back to her apartment, pulling away from Roy as she dashed off.

"Nel, wait! A-are you ok-?!"

Too late; she was gone.

"WHO'S BEEN IN MY APARTMENT?!"

Seemed like Roy wasn't the only one dealing with people messing with this things.

"Roy? Dear, are you okay?"

Roy jumped as he turned around, Meg standing right behind him.

"MEG!"

The woman shook her head "Just as I thought! You're working yourself up over nothing again, aren't you?"

"B-but don't understand!" Roy shivered.

"I'll understand it once we get you inside!" the woman said as she dragged Roy back into his apartment, quickly going to the kitchen and putting the kettle on. Once the tea was done, the woman poured Roy a cup but he was much too nervous to drink it now. His brain was filled with all sorts of horrible scenarios of what could happen if someone rather nasty got a hold of his wallet!

"Really, Roy! You need to calm down! I'm surprised you haven't gone completely bald!" Meg giggled, as she patted the man's hand.

"They're gonna get me! They're gonna come and get me!" the man repeated, the teacup shaking in his hands.

"Er, WHO is going to get you?"

Roy sprang to his feet, getting much too close to Meg's face for comfort "THEY GUYS FROM STREET FIGHTER! THEY HAVE MY WALLET!"

"Relax dear!" Meg laughed nervously, pushing the man away "Sit down and drink your tea before it gets cold!"

"Relax?! HOW CAN I RELAX?! They'll be comin' this way soon and-!"

The ma stopped; if the guys from Street Fighter knew where he lived, that meant they knew where ALL the Nicelanders lived! Roy's blood ran cold once he realized that in that one instant by drooping his wallet, he had put EVERYONE in Niceland in danger!

"I'VE LEAD THEM HERE! THEY'RE GONNA GET US ALL!"

"Um, Roy?"

"This is a DISASTER! A COMPLETE UTTER-OOOOW!"

Honk!

Roy gave a cry as he felt the tight pinch of Meg's fingers on his nose, the man whimpering as he flinched and moved back a bit.

"Honestly, Roy! Its not as bad as you think!"

"N-no…." the man said, rubbing his sore and reddening nose "Its MUCH worse!"

Roy didn't even see Meg slamming her face into her palm; she wasn't up for this.

"SWEETIE."

The man ran blasted like lightening towards his room, grabbing his suitcase and filling the thing with enough clothes and supplies to last him for a few days.

"I HAVE TO GET OUTTA HERE BEFORE THE FIND ME!" Roy screamed, placing his hat on his head and running out of his apartment as if his feet were on fire!

"Roy! ROY! COME BACK!"

"GOTTA GO FAST! GOTTA GO FAST!" Roy panted to himself.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! BLAKE, STOP IT!"

The man shuddered at the sound from the above, making a dive for the elevator.

"C'mon, c'mon HURRY!" he said, pushing the down button as much as he could, the elevator moving much too slow as far as he was concerned!

Ding!

As soon as the door opened, Roy FLUNG himself inside, his heart beating a million miles a minuet as he watched the floor counter tick by agonizingly slow. Even as he stood in the elevator, he could feel the coming! Those huge hulking figures, ready to bust in and do a number to EVER citizen of Niceland!

And all because Roy had dropped his wallet!

Finally, the atrium.

As soon as the doors opened, the grey Nicelander BUSTED out of the elevator, nearly knocking down Snownna and Adorabezzle in the process.

"HEY!" cried the popsicle racer, her hat flying off her head.

"S-SORRY GIRLS!" Roy said, running towards the back doors of the apartments.

"See, Bezzie! THAT could be YOU if ya don't stop worryin'!" Snowanna said, pointing to the still running man.

Roy was nearly to freedom when he ran right into Nel once more, the woman now holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Roy?! What is it this time?!"

"I have to get outta here before-!"

As soon as Roy flung the door open, he ran face first into what he thought was a brick wall but upon further inspecting he found that it was no wall…

But rather a person.

A very LARGE person!

Roy turned as white as a sheet once he realized who was looking at.

"I'm sorry lil guy?" the figure said as he bent down to the man's height "You okay?"

There was only ONE thing Roy could do at the moment and it was what he did best.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

And with that, Roy passed out, not even seeing that the figure was holding his wallet.

"Boy, jumpy lil guy isn't he?" asked the figure as he took of his hat and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You have NO idea…." Nel snickered.

"Nel, is that you?" asked Meg, looking around in confusion. Just then Deanna showed up, the woman taking one look at the passed out Roy before glancing at the others.

"Do you know how LONG I've been looking for BOTH of you?!"


	12. Ten Tales Come to an End

Ten Little Tales Come to an End

"WILL YOU GET OFF ME, YOU FRECKLED WOOKIE!?" roared Blake.

Norwood tried his best to push the man off him but Blake was just too strong "YOU FIRST, BALDY!"

"I HOPE YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE PAYIN' FOR MY DRY CLEANIN'!" screamed Lucy as she continued to crawl all over Don's back, the man reaching as best he could to get her off. As if things couldn't get any worse, Meg suddenly ran in, not even caring that she was walking into the duck pond!

"Donnie, are you okay?!"

Gene could only look at everything that was happening before him the man turning red in anger as his cheeks puffed out "What the HECK *HIC!* is goin' on here?!"

By now EVERYONE from Niceland was on the lawn, the entire lot of people screaming, running and more or less creating mass chaos right in front of everyone to see!

"So, what did ya think of the movie?" asked Vanellope, sitting in front of Ralph as the trolley pulled into the station.

"Meh, it was okay…." The wrecker said, munching on the last of his popcorn "Too many special effects for my taste."

"WHAT!? Ya can never go wrong with a lotta explosions!" the little racers said with a huge grin "It HAS TA be BOOM an' BANG an'=!"

"Say, what's with all the noise…: Calhoun asked, looking up as she heard the faint sound of chittering and screaming Nicelanders. Felix, cuddled in the arms of his wife, took one look and his jaw dropped.

"What in the name of Litwak's nanna-?!"

By now, things had gotten even more chaotic! Norwood and Blake were still rolling in the grass, Don was in a chokehold thanks to Lucy and now Meg had jumped into the pond, trying to pry the younger Ncelander off her 'lover'.

"LUCY! STOP HURTIN' HIM!"

"GAH! MEG!" the other Nicelander said as she fell backwards, taking both Don and Meg with her.

"Heeeey, isn't that BISON!?" Vanellope said in shock, seeing the huge man trying to fan the still unconscious Don with a handkerchief.

"Er, you wouldn't happen to have any smelling salts on you?" the huge man asked the exasperated Nel.

"HEY VANELLOPE!" waved Snowanna, a lot happier than she SHOULD have been considering the situation "Why didn't you tell us stuff like this happens here! THIS IS AWESOME!"

The four friends looked at each other in shock, not sure if they should try to help or just back out of the game and wait a few hours before returning. After seeing a BUSH burst into flames for no reason, they knew SOMETHING had to be done before the entire game crashed!

"Can't we have ONE Sunday without some sort of calamity?" Felix asked, shaking his head.

"Hey! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!" screamed Gene, trying his best to get everyone's attention and failing miserably.

That was it! He had had enough!

"EVERYONE! Shut the HECK up!"

And with that, everyone stopped, all eyes going to Gene as the man panted in exhaustion.

That was a close one! The mayor had almost said something BAD that time!

Gene huffed, cooling down a bit "Honestly *HIC!* you guys! Is this *HIC!* proper *HIC!* Niclander *HIC! HIC! HIC!* be *HIC!* ha *HIC* GAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Darn those hiccups! No matter what Gene did, they were still going strong and from the sound of things, they were worse than before!

"Why don't you try holding your breath?" Norwood suddenly said but Blake pushed back, looking angrier than ever.

"Why don't YOU shut up?!"

Norwood pushed back angrily "No, YOU!"

"NO YOU!"

"BOYS, IF YOU DON'T STOP I'M GONNA SEW BOTH OF YOUR MOUTHS SHUT!" Nel yelled from afar, running up to both men and forgetting she had Tombo in her arms.

"MEW!" the kitten yowled, not wanting to be caught in the middle of the mess any longer! It HAD to escape and escape it did!

"Oh!" the woman squeaked as the tiny kitten jumped from his arms "Wait, don't leave!"

"Tombo! There ya are!" Norwood said happily, the man leaving Blake on the ground as he ran for the tiny kitten.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the other man yelled, grabbing Norwood by his ankles, the man crying out as he flew forward.

What happened was a complete domino effect; Norwood fell on the ground, scaring Tombo who then ran back to Nel but instead of jumping into the woman's ARMS, he jumped into her afro! Nel screamed and ran about, trying to get the tiny kitten out of her hair but she ran into Deanna in the process who then crashed into Mary who tripped over Roy, the man waking up as he rolled with the others, heading right into Don, Lucy, and Meg, all three having just pulled themselves out of the duck pond and somehow-!

SOMEHOW!

They landed on top of Gene, the poor man at the bottom of the Nicelander pile!

"NYAAAGH! MY SPINE!"

Everyone else just stood in silence, not sure WHAT to say after all of that.

"Um, does anyone need any help?" asked Felix sheepishly.

Gene felt himself being crushed under the weight of his friends, the man turning a bit blue in the face.

"URGH! I CAN'T-!"

He felt a surge of pressure hit his chest! Was it another hiccup?! Was it his rib cage being crushed from under the weight of his friends?!

" BWAAAAAAAAAAAAARP!"

Not at all.

"GAAAAAH! GENE!" cried Lucy in disgust, her little legs kicking in the air.

At this point, Gene just didn't care anymore, not with all the pain he was in. He fell limp on the ground, not even making an attempt to free himself but as the seconds passed, he noticed something.

"Wait…"

"W-what is it dear?" asked a dizzy Mary.

"My hiccups are gone…."

Vanellope had turned from the scene, trying her best not to laugh but failing, her entire body shaking.

"Well, it's as Swizzle says!" Adorabezzle said, the racer smiling for the first time in a LONG time "The best cure for a hiccup is a burp!"

"Wait, so all he had to do was burp a third time and none of this mess would have happened?!" Felix said, looking a might stunned "Ain't that somethin'!"

The pile of Nicelanders managed to fall of each other, the chubby people rolling around like balls on the lawn before coming to a stop.

"Norwood?!" panted Blake, exhausted.

"Y-yeah?" the red-head said, just as tired.

"Can we PLEASE call it a draw?!"

"Uuuurgh! My pleasure!" Norwood moaned, crawling on his sides only to roll next to Nel, the two bumping noses. The woman blushed brightly but her mood changed.

"NORWOOD! GET THIS CAT OUTTA MY HAIR!" she bellowed, her tiny arms reaching for her massive hair.

"I know, I gotcha babe…." The freckled man groaned as he pulled Tombo out as gently as he could but as he did, his stomach growled again. He looked down at Nel, blushing horribly.

"Um….are you in the mood for Thai?" asked Nel, getting back on her feet.

Norwood sighed heavily as he followed his crush back into the building "That...that would be nice, dear."

"MEW!"

"So….are we still on for tea?" asked Bison, helping Deanna and Roy up, not even seeing that Roy was trying to get away, the man frightened beyond belief.

"Sure thing…" Deanna said, cracking her back 'But I need to get some more from Meg…"

"N-not a problem dear…" Meg shivered, sopping wet and leading Don out of the pond by a hand "Just….just let me get into something dry…."

Lucy and Don then looked at each other but the young Nicelander still hadn't forgotten what the man had done to her CD player. AS soon as Meg's back was turned, the woman shook her fist at Don, glaring angrily "YEAH. I'll have Felix fix your stupid player!"

"Ms. Lucy, wait!" Adorabezzle called out to the Nicelander "We brought you cake!"

"Cake?" said Bison "That sounds good!"

And all that was left was Gene and Mary, the pink Nicelander walking over to her fiancé, that man still face planted in the grass deep within his own imprint in the ground.

"Dear?" the woman asked, poking Gene's back "Are you alright?"

Gene managed to sit up, "Y-Yeah. The grass is SO comfortable…." The man then sighed, falling on his back, completely out of it.

"I think I'll join you…" Mary sighed, falling next to Gene with a whomp.

"Er, will you two be okay?" Felix asked, looking down at the couple, tipping up his hat.

"Y-yeah, we're okay!" Gene said, waving the boy off.

The others walked into the building, still not sure what to make of the situation.

"Well, I guess you were right!" Calhoun said as she smiled down at her huabmd "Niceland CAN be rather exciting!"

"HIC!"

Another hiccup!

But it wasn't from Gene…..

"MARY!" the man gasped in shock.

"AURRRGH! *HIC!* COME ON!" the woman cried out in anger from the yard.

Uh-oh.

"QUICK! QUICK! INTA THA ELEVATOR!" Felix said, pushing everyone into the elevator, wanting to get away as fast as possible!

He didn't feel like dealing with this crap!


End file.
